


A Year in the Life

by Sweasley



Series: Teddy & Vic [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hogwarts Sixth Year, POV Victoire Weasley, Past Teddy Lupin/Victoire Weasley, Post-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Romance, Tedoire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 127,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23763586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweasley/pseuds/Sweasley
Summary: Teddy/Victoire. Victoire's sixth year at Hogwarts is full of ups and downs. Fights with mean girls and a boy that's more trouble than he's worth, she's in for quite a few surprises. Including the realization that she might be falling for the last person she ever expects. (Part 2 of 4)Originally posted on ff.net
Relationships: Teddy Lupin/Victoire Weasley
Series: Teddy & Vic [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1748590
Comments: 35
Kudos: 34





	1. The Bearer of Good News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Disclaimer: If you recognize someone, they belong to JKR. The others are all creations of mine to fill the gaps. :) Plus, any similarities are accidental and completely unintentional.**
> 
> This is Part 2 of a 4 story series that I posted awhile back on ff.net. I recommend reading Part 1 "The Start" first. :)

June 2016

It was getting later—later and later in the course of a day that Victoire Weasley wished could somehow grow longer. She stared out of the window of her second story bedroom—the bedroom she had just begun to re-assimilate herself to after a year away at school. Why was this day going by so quickly?

She had been home for only two days, but the much needed break from school was already being felt. At sixteen, she had just completed her fifth and most difficult year yet at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It wasn't only the most difficult in an academic sense, but in a social sense as well. Most importantly, her O.W.L.s were over. The exams that she had been stressing herself over since her third year were finished and off being marked somewhere where she could no longer control them. In a sense, that was a very freeing feeling, although, at the same time, it was terrifying.

Academic success was Victoire's first concern as well as her parents'. They had both been exceptional students in their day. Her father, her father, had been a Head Boy and her mother, her mother, had been a Triwizard Champion. Needless to say, they valued good marks above all else, and this was something they felt the need to constantly remind their children of. For Victoire, achieving good marks meant more freedom and free time; whereas bad marks meant that she got to spend her holidays confined to the house helping her mother and father with mundane chores. This wasn't something she was particularly interested in given her increased popularity and her desire to spend her time with her friends.

Luckily for her, getting good marks had not ever been a problem. Throughout the course of her life, she'd been constantly told that she had inherited her father's knack for critically analyzing things, as well as her mother's ability to execute said things in a quick and efficient manner. Her mother's quick thinking wasn't the only thing she was constantly reminded of that she had inherited from her. She cast a quick glance to the full length mirror that hung on the wall next to her closet.

She was slender with strawberry blonde hair that fell just past her shoulders. She had her mother's bone structure, eyes and nose, but she swore she had her father's smile. She smiled instinctively into the mirror and stared at herself for several moments. Even she couldn't deny that she was a pretty convincing clone of her mother, but she was happy because if she could have inherited anything from her father, it would have been his smile.

Ever since she was a little girl, she had always thought her father had the friendliest smile she had ever seen. On many occasions, her mother had told her that it was her father's smile that had made her fall in love with him. It had been the thing that had convinced her that he was the most handsome man alive. It was a story that Victoire had always loved hearing as a girl, and it made her dream of one day having a relationship similar to that of her parents. Through war and disfigurement, they were still as in love with each other now as they had been since on the day they had met.

"Victoire!" called her mother's voice. "You have a visitor!"

"I do?" she said to no one in particular as she snapped out of her daze and glanced at the door to her bedroom. She hadn't been expecting anyone because she was soon leaving to go out, and her family didn't exactly live nearby anyone for neighbors to simply drop in. She made her way downstairs where she could suddenly smell her mother's cooking wafting out of the kitchen as dinner was being prepared. Her mother, however, was still standing at the door chatting happily with someone out of sight.

"Oh, here she is!" her mother said, as Victoire stepped into the threshold, where she spotted a tall girl with curly blonde hair and pretty features standing there smiling back at her.

"Penelope," she said with a tone of surprise as she forced a small smile and stepped out onto the front porch. "What are you doing here?"

her mother smiled at the pair of them before excusing herself and shutting the door behind her, leaving the two of them alone.

"If I said I was in the neighborhood, you probably wouldn't believe me," Penelope said as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled. It was the kind of smile that was never quite sincere, even if it was meant to be. Then again, Penelope prided herself on being exclusive and standoffish.

Penelope Shears was a year older than Victoire, yet they had both been sorted into Gryffindor, and they shared a common, mutual group of friends. In polite conversation, they both referred to the other as a friend, but Victoire had never much felt like she could trust her. Their friendship was surface level than anything more.

Victoire glanced out at the sea on which her house sat upon before quickly turning back towards Penelope. "Not really, no."

Penelope smiled again. "I didn't think so."

"So, then why are you here?"

"I've got some news for you. News that I think you'll find quite interesting."

"Okay…" said Victoire as her annoyance started to show. She had grown tired of playing these games over the last few months. "And what's that?"

"Colleen would absolutely kill me if she knew I'd come here to tell you this."

Victoire stared at her. The biggest dissention between Penelope and she was Penelope's best friend, a girl by the name of Colleen Lynch. She was in the same year as Penelope, a Gryffindor, extremely attractive, and manipulative to boot. She could have any boy she chose and most girls in the school would have jumped through hoops if that's what it took to be associated with her. By default, being friends with Colleen Lynch meant instant popularity. It was something Colleen wouldn't have had any other way.

If Penelope and Victoire were considered surface level friends, then Colleen and Victoire were below the surface level friends. The two both had such strong personalities that they constantly clashed and butted heads over various issues and instances. The fact that many considered the two of them to be the best looking girls in school didn't help their situation either, since it was obvious to anyone who knew them that Colleen didn't appreciate the competition. On the flipside, Victoire didn't appreciate the unnecessary drama that seemed to follow her around as a result of Colleen.

It seemed that Penelope had news that would upset Colleen if she knew Victoire were to discover. She was intrigued, but unconvinced. For all she knew, this was one of Colleen's little games to see whether or not she would come to her after hearing exclusive information or keep it for herself. She wouldn't put it past Colleen.

"Then perhaps you should save your neck and not tell me," Victoire said.

Penelope's smile faltered. She looked slightly disappointed that Victoire wasn't getting as excited as she'd hoped for. "It's about Stuart Reynolds," she continued as she watched Victoire's face for a reaction.

"What's about him?"

"He and Elizabeth Cole have split up."

Her eyes grew wide almost involuntarily. "Really?"

She nodded her head. "Her older sister is a friend of my older sister and she's just told me. Apparently they had a huge row about staying together now that she's finished school and he still has another year. They decided to call it off."

Victoire smiled as she stared off towards the sea again. Stuart Reynolds was a soon-to-be seventh-year Ravenclaw, and he also happened to be Captain of their Quidditch team. He was unbelievably handsome, not to mention charming, and she had been particularly partial to him for years now. He, however, had been faithfully dating Elizabeth Cole for who-knows-how-long. Well, until now it seemed.

"I just thought you ought to know," said Penelope as Victoire turned back towards her. "In case you were interested."

"You know I'm interested," she said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "But why are you telling me? Colleen's had her eye on him for years now and I would think you'd save this information for just her."

Penelope bit her bottom lip. "I did tell her. It's just…" She trailed off momentarily as her icy demeanor showed signs of cracking. "I just don't think it's very fair for her to assume that because he's single, he is hers for the taking."

She watched as Penelope suddenly became agitated. "Did Colleen say that?" she asked. "That he's hers for the taking?"

"Not in so many words," she said with a wave of her hand. "But after I mentioned that I may have a go at him because, you know, I think he's quite attractive too—" She looked away. "Colleen had a real laugh about it and told me not to be silly. She said, 'Why would he go after me when there were girls like her available?'"

Victoire's jaw dropped. She wasn't surprised by the comment—seeing as that was very much part of Colleen's blunt nature—but rather the fact that Penelope actually seemed to be affected by something for once. She had heard some pretty harsh things thrown at Penelope by Colleen over the years, yet she usually took them in stride. It was as if Penelope felt it came with the territory of being her friend—a fact that Colleen constantly reminded them.

"Anyway," said Penelope, "she made me swear that I wouldn't even entertain the idea of going after him—"

"And you agreed!?" Victoire interrupted. "You know you don't have to do that, right?"

Her face grew cold again. "You're the one who seems to enjoy the fights and arguments. Not me. It's not my style."

"It's not exactly my style to sit back and let Colleen dictate my life," she said, as if trying to prove a point to Penelope. It seemed lost on her.

"You weren't always so rebellious. No offense, Vicki, but you certainly let Colleen walk all over you a time or two…or ten."

"And then I grew up," Victoire said as her annoyance started to grow again.

"Whatever," Penelope said in a bored tone as she turned and headed towards the front step. "I have to go. I just wanted to let you know about Stuart."

Victoire watched her take a few steps as she started to ponder why Penelope would actually tell her about this. Colleen, for all her bitchiness, was still the person Penelope wanted to impress most.

"I still don't see why you'd want me to know about all of this."

She turned and smiled her trademark icy smile. "Because you're the only one who can really challenge Colleen in getting him. That and she made a point saying how she hoped you wouldn't find out."

Victoire arched her eyebrow, but said nothing.

"I may not be as willing as you are to go at Colleen," she continued, "but I have my own ways of making things a little more difficult for her."

They both stared at each other for a long moment before the front door opened and a tall, thin, and attractive boy with reddish brown hair poked his head out. It was Victoire's fifteen-year-old brother, Louis.

"Hey, Vic," he said. "Mum says dinner's ready."

"Hi Louis," said Penelope brightly as she suddenly stood up straighter and smiled. Victoire couldn't help but roll her eyes at the display. Sure, she had become used to this being a common occurrence from her friends anytime a good looking boy came around, but the fact that they had all started taking an interest in Louis lately was something she couldn't get used to. This was her _brother_ that Penelope was gawking at.

"Hey," he said with the smile that he had also inherited from their father.

"I'll be in in a second," Victoire said quickly. Louis seemed to take that as a hint and shut the door behind him.

"I know he's your brother," Penelope said in a tone far different than it had been earlier, "but he is so cute."

"So I'm told," she said as her annoyance hit its limit, "but as you see, I have to go. Thanks for the info."

"Are you going to do anything about it?"

"We'll see." She shrugged and turned back towards the house.

"Wait!" Penelope said just as Victoire put her hand on the doorknob. "One more thing. Please don't tell Colleen that it was me who told you about this."

"Fine," she said quickly as she entered her house and slammed the door shut behind her. She suddenly wondered just how many Galleons she'd have if she had one for every time she heard the phrase, "Don't tell Colleen." She'd surely be the richest girl in England.

"What the hell was she doing out here?" Louis asked as he walked past carrying a cauldron of stew.

"Apparently she's the bearer of good news," said Victoire as she followed her brother into the dining room where her father and mother were already sitting. As she took her seat, her fifteen-year-old sister and Louis's twin, Dominique, came casually strolling into the room.

Dominique was eleven minutes older than Louis and while the two of them had looked quite similar as children, the older they had gotten the less similar they seemed. In fact, Dominique was starting to look more and more like a blend of her mother and father, whereas Louis was starting to look more like their father everyday. Dominique had the blondest hair of the children, but she constantly wore in a funky and unkempt ponytail that looked as if she devoted maybe six seconds of her day to her appearance. Her face was shaped like their father and brother's, but her frame was smaller like her mother's. In fact, the only similarity all three Weasley children shared was that they all had blue eyes, just as both their parents did.

Dominique was also a tomboy who loved Quidditch and anything having to do with the outdoors. She was chaotic and unorganized, which was something that tended to grate on Victoire since she was naturally neat and orderly. The two sisters tended to butt heads more often than not due to their different personalities and stubborn natures. Dominique was never afraid to speak her mind, no matter the trouble it caused, and the sound of them arguing was definitely more common than not around the Weasley household.

Louis however had a very different relationship with both of his sisters. Where Dominique could be brash and opinionated, Louis preferred to be relaxed and carefree, making him easy to get along with. He was a charming kid who was everyone's friend and often found himself bridging the gap between Victoire and Dominique's differences. Victoire often thought that if it wasn't for her brother, she and Dominique would have probably disowned each other by now. Louis had a way of making them get along.

"Did Colleen Lynch's gigantic head finally explode?" Dominique asked as Louis laughed and almost dropped the cauldron onto the table. "Because that's really the only good news Penelope Shears could bring."

"Dominique," her mother said as she cast a sharp look at her.

Victoire couldn't help but smile. "No. Not yet. Give it time, though."

"So?" asked Dominique as she started ladling herself some stew. "What'd she want?"

"You really care?"

She grinned. "Humor me."

"Stuart Reynolds and Elizabeth Cole broke up," she said with a smile. Louis rolled his eyes.

"Poor guy," he said. "She was really gorgeous."

"I'm sure there will be other girls to help him get over her," Victoire said with a dreamy smile.

"I wonder who you're talking about," he said sarcastically.

"Now I truly pity him," Dominique joked.

"Ha-ha," Victoire said as she started to stir her stew with her spoon. She couldn't help but find her mood elevated now upon hearing the news about Stuart. Her mind started to wander about just when she may be able to see him next.

"So, you three are going out tonight," her father said as they all tucked into dinner. "Over to Harry and Ginny's right?"

Victoire's mind stopped wandering as she suddenly remembered her plans for the evening. The plans she had been dreading all day.

"Yep," Dominique said. "Over to T.R's party."

"Why do you call him that?" asked Victoire.

"Because that's his name."

"Well, his name's Ted," their father said in an equally obvious tone. "T.R is actually his initials."

"Same difference."

"It's stupid," Victoire said as she blew on her stew to cool it. "Why he ever let that catch on is beyond me."

"He obviously likes it," Louis said. "And it's not like he cares if you call him Ted or Teddy or whatever. Most people just call him T.R."

She rolled her eyes.

"In fact, Vic," he added, "I think you may be one of the few people who still calls him Ted."

"I'll always call him Ted. That's his name."

"Different strokes," Dominique said as she bit off a piece of her dinner roll and started chewing it.

"It's hard to believe that Teddy's already finished school," her mother said. "It seems like only yesterday Remus was in this very room telling us about this birth."

"I remember that," her father said fondly. "It had been storming terribly that night…"

"Here we go again," Dominique said with a glance at Victoire.

"And everyone was here," Victoire said as she smiled and mimicked her father. "Uncle Harry, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione were all in hiding here from the Death Eaters when Ted's dad—"

"Remus," her father interrupted. "If you're going to make fun of my story telling, you better get the details straight."

"Right, sorry," she said with a small giggle as Dominique and Louis laughed, too. "When Remus came through the door on that stormy night—"

"Windy and stormy," her father said as though he was thoroughly enjoying this. "It was very windy."

"Windy and stormy night," she added. "And then he announced that he'd had a baby boy. They named him Ted after his grandfather and then everyone drank in celebration."

"The end," Louis said with a smirk.

"I think you've told that story before," her mother said, smiling at her husband

"I've heard it at least ten times," Dominique said.

"Twelve here," Victoire said.

"You know," her father said, "one day when I'm not around, you're going to miss my stories."

"But we'll be able to recite them line for line," joked Louis as everyone at the table chuckled.

"It's nice that Harry and Ginny are throwing him a party," her mother said. "You all should have fun."

"That's to be decided," Victoire mumbled.

"I thought you and Ted were friendly again," asked her father. "I know you had that falling out, but didn't you two work that out?"

"Well, yes…"

"You knew they would, of course," her mother said. "They both have been friends since they were both so small. It's silly to throw all of that away over a stupid disagreement."

"Very true," said her father as Victoire said nothing. She couldn't help but think how true that would be if it had been that simple.

"I'm going to go and change," Louis said as he inhaled the last of his food and stood up.

"How did you eat so quickly?" asked her mother.

"I suppose I should get ready, too," said Victoire.

"You haven't finished eating," her mother said as she looked at Victoire's plate. "You should at least eat the rest."

"I'm not really hungry; there will probably be loads of food there," she said as she stood up. Neither her father nor her mother contradicted her as she marched up the stairs to her bedroom. She went straight to her closet and began to flip through items of clothing, nixing each one as she passed it.

"What the hell do I wear to this?" she asked out loud without expecting an answer. However, one came from Louis who had just let himself into her room.

"Something that covers up as much as possible. I don't want to see you and I don't want to see people seeing you. Have you seen my brown shoes?"

"No. Sorry," she said as Louis turned to leave as quickly as he'd entered. She wasn't left alone for long, seeing as Dominique had entered right behind him and was holding up two shirts.

"Blue or red?" she asked.

She didn't even look at her. "I don't care. Red, I suppose. Whatever. "They're both ugly," she said as she continued searching through her closet. This was generally her response to most of the things her sister chose to wear since Dominique insisted on wearing clothes that could never be confused as anything but unisex. On top of that, she often wore them a size too big. "Why don't you borrow something of mine, Nicki? Something not so boring."

Dominique made a face as she glanced towards Victoire's open closet. "Everything is so…girly."

"Because I'm a girl. So are you in case you've forgotten. And look, this isn't very girly." She held up a green jumper and gestured to several more that were still hanging. "Perfectly neutral colors. No frills or anything like that. I know you won't touch those."

Dominique glanced back down at the shirts in her hand. "Blue or red?"

"Blue," she mumbled begrudgingly. "At least it's a little more form fitting that that potato sack thing you've got in your other hand."

"I like this one," she said as she held up the red shirt.

"It looks like something Louis would wear."

"I think it was once his." She shrugged before she turned and went straight back into her own room down the hall. Victoire quickly changed into her own outfit and started to brush her hair in front of the mirror when Dominique returned and plopped herself down on the nearby bed. She began putting on her shoes. "You're really not looking forward to this tonight, are you?"

"Not really," Victoire said.

"Why not? I mean this is T.R—"

Victoire shot her a look through the mirror.

"Sorry, Ted's party."

"And I'm happy for him. It's just," she sighed, "the people that will most likely be there—"

"You mean his friends?" she asked as she leaned back against the wall that Victoire's bed was propped against. She had started playing with a rubber ball she had found somwhere. "Too good for them, are you?"

"Oh, shut up, Nicki," she said as she turned around to face her. "You know that's not it."

"Then what is it?"

"How about the fact that some of them don't seem to like me much."

"It seems like the feeling's mutual."

"Not because I want it to be," Victoire added. "I've never been mean to them, yet they're the ones who think that just because of who my friends are that I'm a stuck up bitch."

Dominique stared at her. "But your friends have been stuck up bitches to them."

"But I haven't."

"You're guilty by association then," she said. "I mean, you do hang out with people like Colleen and Penelope and Aspeth, and they do enjoy making fun of everyone and anyone who they don't think is, by their definition, cool."

"But I don't!"

"No offense," she said with a laugh, "but as long as you hang out with those girls, people who don't know you are going to think you're like that. I mean, if it's any consolation, most people think you're the least bitchy one of the group."

"My goal is to distance myself from them next year," Victoire said as she turned back around and looked in the mirror. "I'm tired of the drama."

"Glad to hear it," she said as she threw the ball up in the air and caught it.

"It still doesn't help me tonight."

"You know what?" asked Dominique. "The only people there who are going to give you a hard time are the people who haven't bothered to get to know you. Simon will be there, and he's in love with you and has been forever."

Victoire smiled as she thought of Ted's friend Simon. A sweet and clumsy boy who always had good intentions, he never quite executed them properly. He had done countless things over the years to get her attention, including accidentally breaking her foot during her fourth year. The encounters we almost always followed by Ted feeling the need to apologize for his friend's behavior.

"And the rest of those guys think you're alright," Dominique continued. "I know they do. It's just some of the girls who get a little edgy."

"Some of the girls or _the_ girl?"

"You mean Celia?"

"She clearly hates me," Victoire said as she thought of Ted's girlfriend. "And I know any chance she gets to stare me down or just be rude to me tonight, she'll take it."

"I think most of that is in your head," she said. Victoire was immediately ready to jump on the defensive. However, Dominique held up her hand to silence her. "Not all in your head, mind you, but some. To be honest, I've always thought she was jealous of you."

"Why on earth—?" she began before she shook her head. "She has no reason to be!"

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one whose boyfriend has grown up with a girl who most guys at school would give their right arm for a chance to take out." She made a face. "Disturbing truth, I know."

"You flatter me," she said sarcastically as she threw a nearby pillow at her. "But like I said, she had no reason to be. Teddy and I are nowhere near as close as we used to be, and there were never any romantic feelings involved to begin with."

"Didn't you fancy him back in the day? I remember teasing you about it."

"I was five. He was the only boy I knew who wasn't related to me in some way," she said as her face fell. "Then we started growing apart when we were put in separate houses, followed by him getting annoyed with me for my choice in friends—"

"And the fact that you pretty much put those friends above all else," Dominique added.

Victoire shot her a tired look, but the truth was that she was right. When Colleen and her friends had first approached her during her third year to join them at meals and in the common room, she had been so shocked and excited by the attention that she had started neglecting her other friendships slightly; including her oldest one.

"But you know, I tried to work through that," Victoire continued. "Even though I was constantly ridiculed by Ted and by Colleen for who my choice in other friends were, I still maintained both."

"Oh, however did you manage such hardship, Vic?" Dominique asked in an overly theatrical manner.

She frowned. "I was young, Nicki. You know the effect those girls have on people and I can't say I didn't fall victim to that. I'm not proud of it now knowing the crap I've gotten myself into with these girls, but we all make mistakes."

"At least you're realizing it sooner rather than later. But, hey, just remember, through all this shit Ted's always been there, and you at least owe it to him to suck it up and smile through his party."

Victoire's face grew annoyed. "Always been there for me? Don't act like he's the innocent victim in all this and I'm the one who threw our friendship aside with no regard. He was the one who drew the biggest blow to it."

Dominique laughed. "You told him you hated his girlfriend. A girl he's mad about and you told him you couldn't stand her."

"Because she made it her mission to drive the wedge that already existed between us deeper!" she practically shouted. "I told you she didn't like me from day one, and when she found out that Ted and I were having problems, she would sit there and tell him how he was better off without me around and how useless I was as a friend."

"How do you know that?"

"Simon told me," she said as a matter-of-fact. "He said she would sit there in the Hufflepuff common room and lecture Teddy on all the evils that I was apparently and it got to the point where I think he actually started to believe them." Her face grew angry. "You know, no matter how many times Colleen would sit there and tell me how being friends with Ted was a waste of time and how he was boring or whatever terrible things she would say about him, not for one second did I believe it because I knew Ted. He was my best friend and my refuge from all of the shit and the drama those girls created."

Dominique stared at her. Victoire shook her head.

"So, yes, it really hurts to hear Celia say those things and then when I turn around to confront Teddy about them, he sides with her," her face started to flush, "for him to believe her over me."

"I didn't know about that last part," Dominique said.

"Of course you didn't," she said as the color began to return to her cheeks. "I didn't tell anyone the truth. I just let Celia go around telling everyone whatever she wanted. I really thought that that was the end of Ted and me and it would be easier to deal with if people just thought that I was a bitch," she rolled her eyes. "Which most of them do now anyway, so mission accomplished."

"You really do have drama follow you everywhere don't you?"

"Welcome to my life," Victoire mumbled.


	2. The Party

I'll see you later," her father said, as he waved each one of his children into the fireplace to travel via the Floo Network. Victoire was the last to go; she took a large hesitant breath before stepping through. She called out her destination, and seconds later, she found herself stepping out of another fireplace in her aunt and uncle's home.

"Look who's here," called a voice.

"Hey, James," Louis said with a smile as Victoire noticed her brother and sister were already being greeted by a young boy with dark hair and eyes. He was grinning at the group and struggling to open a jar of pickles.

"Are you all here for the party?" he asked.

"What party?" Louis joked just as their Uncle Harry entered the room with a polite smile upon taking them all in.

"Hey," walking over to put a hand on James' shoulder. "James, are you playing host?"

James shrugged as her Aunt Ginny's voice called out from the kitchen, asking who had just arrived. She suddenly entered and smiled when she saw the three visitors.

"Aunt Ginny," Victoire said as she walked over to hug her, "How have you been?"

"Wonderful," she said, stepping back to get a look at her before glancing at Dominique and Louis. "Look at you all. You're so grown up!"

"That they are," Harry said as he walked over and took the jar that James was still struggling to open and popped the top off.

"Where are Albus and Lily?"

"At Ron and Hermione's with the kids," Harry said. "James wanted to stay here." James nodded his head at this as he now snacked on a pickle.

"Everyone is outside in the garden," Ginny said as she brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Feel free to go out and have fun."

Victoire's eyes drifted towards a window that showed a glimpse of the backyard. It didn't reveal much, but from what she could see, several people were standing around laughing and chatting.

"I want to go outside," James said grumpily. "It's my yard."

"No one's stopping you," Harry said as he sat himself down on the sofa. "We just don't think you'll have much fun out there."

"Fine," he said as he screwed his face up in disappointment and sat himself down on the sofa next to his father.

"We should probably go say hi," said Dominique as she nudged her sister.

"Don't let me stop you," she took a seat on the sofa across from Harry. "I was going to visit for a bit."

Dominique and Louis exchanged looks before both staring skeptically at Victoire.

"I just saw most of those people at school the other day," she added dismissively as she tried to avoid her siblings' eyes. "I'll go out in a bit."

"All right," Dominique said as she and Louis made their way towards the back garden. Victoire turned herself back towards where Ginny had now sat on Harry's other side.

"How are things?" Ginny asked. "How'd your O.W.L.s go?"

"Really good, I think. I know I did well in Charms and Potions. Transfigurations I'm a bit worried about though," Victoire responded.

"Do you think you failed?" asked James.

"Oh no, I just don't know if I got an 'O' in it or not."

"Is 'O' the best?" he asked with a glance around the room.

"That it is," Ginny said. "You'll learn all about that when you get to school."

"I was just happy to pass the majority of my O.W.L.s," Harry said. "Getting an 'O' was just an added bonus."

Victoire smiled. "My dad got a few 'O's. I'd like to rival him at least."

"Didn't Bill get twelve O.W.L.s total?" Ginny asked.

Victoire nodded and grinned, "It's something he likes to remind all of us. Mostly as a joke of course, but still…I only sat ten subjects though, so we'll see how I do."

"I wouldn't doubt for a second that you don't get all ten," Ginny said as a door was heard opening a closing somewhere close. A boy with light hair appeared in front of them; he looked confused.

"Toilet?"

Harry and James pointed in unison to a nearby door and the boy smiled appreciatively.

"I'm going to earn twelve O.W.L.s," James said.

"Excellent," said Harry with a glance at Ginny. "We can retire early because James will support us when his good marks get him a good job straight away out of school."

"Fantastic," Ginny said as she smiled as her eldest son. He shook his head quickly at the pair of them.

"You start Hogwarts this year, don't you, James?" Victoire asked.

"Yup," he said. "I want to go and get my wand now, but Dad said I'll probably break it so he's making me wait until it gets closer to September."

"The way he and his brother wrestle around the house," Harry said to Victoire, "I can only hope he doesn't break his arms, let alone a wand."

"What house do you want to be in?" she asked as the boy from the toilet reappeared and made his way back outside.

"Gryffindor," he said without hesitation.

She smiled. "Good choice."

"You're in Gryffindor aren't you?" he asked. "Mum and dad were both in Gryffindor too."

"It's the place to be," Harry said as he stood. "Not that it matters what house you end up in, really."

"Ted says I should be in Hufflepuff," James continued, "but I don't want anything but Gryffindor."

"Your dad's right," Victoire said as the back door opened and shut once more. "It really doesn't really matter what house you're in because—"

"Hufflepuff is best," said a familiar voice from behind Victoire. She turned and saw Ted Lupin entering the room. He was tall and lanky and his shaggy hair—which happened to be a dark shade of blue at the moment—hung in front of his eyes. He smiled at Victoire as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"You're saying that to a room full of Gryffindors!" James laughed.

"Which means I need to get the truth out," Ted joked as he came and sat on the arm of the sofa Victoire was sitting on. "What's up, Vic? I saw Nicki and Lou outside so I figured you had to be around here somewhere."

"Just visiting," she said as she gestured around the room.

"Do you all have everything you need out there?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, we're great," he said with a smile towards his godfather.

"There's more food in the kitchen," Ginny added. "So just help yourself."

"Will do," he said before standing back up and glancing at Victoire. "Well, party's outside if you do feel like coming out of hiding and joining us."

"I'm not hiding," she said. "I just hadn't seen them in ages and—"

"Don't let us keep you," Harry interrupted. "We're old and boring."

James made a face. "Speak for yourself, dad."

"Come on then," Ted said, nudging Victoire in the shoulder. She glanced up at him and almost wondered if he realized how awkward she felt, but stood nonetheless. Taking a deep breath, she followed him out into the back garden where several people were sitting and standing around in small groups. A radio was playing; it was a popular wizard rock band from somewhere. Most everyone turned to see the new arrival.

Several people smiled and waved to greet her, while some didn't seem interested at all and continued on with their conversations. One group in particular—just as Victoire had suspected—turned and stared at her. At the center stood a petite girl with long brown hair and very soft features. It was Celia Ward, Ted's long time girlfriend. Her displeasure at Victoire's sudden presence was clear, and Victoire made a point to look anywhere but at her.

"You know everybody," Ted said as a stocky boy with blonde hair suddenly came happily rushing over towards the pair of them. Victoire smiled at the sight of him.

"You! You look amazing," Simon Reed said as he hugged her and lifted her off the ground. "We're still getting married, right?"

"Perhaps," she said with a friendly smile.

"You'll come around," he added as Louis came over as joined them. "I mean, now that I'm done with school, our chances of seeing each other are becoming fewer and far between." He sighed overdramatically. "I don't know what I'm going to do to get through the day."

"You could start by fawning over a girl who's actually interested in you," Ted suggested as he patted Simon on the back before turning to walk over to where Celia was standing. Victoire couldn't help but notice she was trying to make her face look as annoyed as possible for Ted to see.

"He's just jealous," Simon joked as Victoire smiled. "Come and sit." He gestured towards several people at a nearby table. "We can catch up."

"Oh, OK," she said as her apprehension lessened once she was greeted positively by the rest of the group. Perhaps this night wouldn't be as bad as she had thought…

Two hours later, Victoire sat enjoying herself with Dominique, Louis, Simon, and some of his friends as they all traded various stories that poked fun at one another. Victoire couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard, and for once, it was genuine and sincere fun. This was something she hadn't experienced in a long time. If she had been with her usual crowd, and she had told some of these embarrassing stories about her other friends, she'd be afraid of the repercussions and the tears that would follow. Not to mention that her usual friends would go straight for the jugular, rather than light-hearted fun.

As it were, Celia and her friends thankfully seemed to want as much to do with Victoire as she did with them. They kept to themselves and only proceeded to look in Victoire's direction if Ted happened to be anywhere within the vicinity of her. It was when he came near to chat with her that she could suddenly feel the presence of several pairs of eyes burning into her. It was a feeling that she happened to be experiencing at that exact moment.

"He had no idea," Dominique said as Ted rubbed his head and smiled. "He thought it was juice or something, and so, he just goes over to it and throws it back in one swig."

"You thought firewhiskey was juice?" a boy named Caleb asked with a boisterous laugh.

"I was what?" He glanced at Victoire. "Seven?"

"Probably," she said with a smile. "Anyway, the look on his face," she started laughing as she puffed out her cheeks in an attempt to imitate. "It looked just like that and he turned bright, bright red and he just started yelling that his throat was melting."

"It was hilarious," Dominique added. "He just suddenly started yelling like a madman and no one could figure out why, until my uncle realized that he's misplaced his drink and put two and two together."

"Your grandmother pitched a fit," said Victoire. "Oh, and you were sick in the bushes all night."

"I honestly remember none of this," Ted said, "Obviously, because I was apparently drunk."

"Getting pissed at seven," Simon said, patting Teddy on the back. "This one started young."

"I still hate firewhiskey to this day," he said, standing up and pushing the hair out of his eyes. "I won't touch it." He laughed before he walked off to where Celia was staring at him; a look of relief crossed her face as he approached. Everyone else took the lull in the conversation as an opportunity to stretch and walk around as well; leaving just Simon and Victoire sitting there.

"It's good to see you and T.R friends again," he said. "To be honest, I didn't know that you had made up after that mess last year."

"We only did about a month and a half ago," she said as she sipped the drink in her hand.

"I bet Celia loved that," he said as both he and Victoire happened to chance a look in her direction. She and Ted we talking in whispers, and she seemed to be talking very fast.

She rolled her eyes. "If she had had her way, it would have never happened."

"How do you mean?"

She smiled. "Well, it's kind of a tale."

"I've got time," he said. "Let's hear it."

She took a deep breath before she began recounting the incident to him.

She had been running as quickly as her legs could carry her down the central staircase at Hogwarts. Even then, that didn't seem to be fast enough. As she finally reached the bottom, she rushed out of the double doors at the front entrance and was hit head-on by the bright light of the afternoon. She blinked in an annoyed manner as she made her way down the front steps and out onto the lawn. Several people were playing on the grounds and enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon, but she couldn't help but feel anything but resentful towards the lot of them as she wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her robes and continued walking at a fast pace.

"Hey, Vicki!" a voice called from nearby. She stopped and looked around to see a group of fourth-year girls waving at her to come join them on a sunny spot of the lawn. She was standing far enough away that they couldn't notice her puffy eyes and red cheeks, but she didn't dare venture any closer. She waved back, but continued on her way toward the lake. She just wanted to be alone.

She pushed onward, making it a point to keep her eyes down until she found herself trailing the edge of the great, black lake. She stopped and glanced out upon it. Having grown up on the water, she felt a very calming reaction to it, and she often sought out this spot in particular when she needed a place to think. A strong, chilly breeze was blowing her hair back as she stood there, staring at the mountains and the tree tops that were running along the lake's opposite bank. She sniffled. A part of her wished she could run off to the other side and then just continue running; she wanted to get away from the stress of exams and of stupid, stupid people.

She felt her body shake. She wasn't sure if it was because of the chill in the breeze or because she felt so weary, but whichever it was, it triggered a release in her that wouldn't allow her to hold back the tears any longer. She had managed to keep most of it in over the last few minutes, but finally relented as she slid down the length of a nearby tree into a sitting position and began sobbing into the sleeves of her robe. Why was everything so hard lately?

She heard laughter and playful screams coming from somewhere nearby and looked up. This part of the lake was also popular for couples who frequented the area for some alone time, so she wasn't entirely surprised by the sounds. She just hoped that they were keeping themselves busy enough to not find any reason to come across her anytime soon. However, it was in that moment that she heard the nearby sounds of branches and leaves cracking, as if a handful of people were walking in her direction. She wiped her face quickly; fearing that if someone did turn up, she'd look distressed. The last thing she felt like doing at the moment was explaining herself and her mood.

"You're good at Potions, though," said a female voice as two figures came into view just down the bank. They were staring out by the lake. "You shouldn't have to worry about your N.E.W.T."

"I'll worry about it until it's over," said a male voice as they grew closer to Victoire, seemingly not noticing her. "I just wish it was over already."

"Soon enough," said the female with a laugh as she turned her head and looked directly in Victoire's direction. It was in that exact moment that both Victoire and the girl recognized the other. Their faces both fell.

"Of all the people…" Victoire mumbled to herself as she turned away and stared out at the lake once more. "This day just goes from bad to worse."

She could hear Celia and Ted's quiet voices talking amongst themselves and knew that they were probably conversing as to why Victoire was sitting out here alone. She almost hoped they weren't. She hoped they'd feel a sudden pang of awkwardness upon discovering her and then turn and walk the other way. Was that too much to ask for?

"Why!?" Celia's voice yelled as Victoire made a point of putting her head down between her knees. Why won't they just go?

"Hey," said Ted's voice from somewhere nearby. His sudden closeness startled her so much that she lifted up her head just to check that she wasn't imagining things. Sure enough, he was standing about six feet away with his hands in the pockets of his robes staring down at her. His face had been blank until he caught a full look of her when they made eye contact. His eyes grew concerned, but he said nothing.

She didn't return the greeting, but merely glanced over towards Celia, who was still standing in the same spot she had been in before. She looked extremely annoyed and was pacing in a small circle.

"How are you?" he asked suddenly. Victoire turned her attention back to him.

"Fine."

"You don't look fine."

"Look again then," she said as she felt the tears well in her eyes once more.

He nodded thoughtfully as he continued to watch her. Did he really expect her to sit here and talk to him as if nothing had ever happened and they were still the best of friends? As if they hadn't spent the last year not speaking to each other?

"I know it's been awhile," he said, "but if something was wrong you know I'm still here to—"

"Are you?" she asked as her tear-filled eyes focused intently on his. "Because last time I checked, the last thing you said to me was how I needed to mind my own damn business and that you didn't care about whatever it was I thought!"

He sighed.

"T.R," called Celia. "Come on!"

"You'd better go," she said bitterly. "I'd hate for my mere presence to cause yet another rift in your relationship."

He stood there for a moment before he turned away and started walking back towards Celia. Victoire put her head back down and a strange mixture of relief and sadness overcame her. She was happy he had gone, but at the same time she now felt worse than before he'd come over. She wasn't even sure how that was possible seeing as she had felt pitiful before, but she had somehow managed it. She started crying harder and wondered why she even bothered with people when she was suddenly startled once again by the presence of someone beside her. She looked up and was shocked to see Ted sitting down.

"We need to talk," he said without looking at her.

She stared at him wide eyed as a stagnant tear hung off of the corner of her nose. She was utterly confused as to what was going on at that moment. She glanced back to where Celia had been standing and noticed she had gone. Turning back to Ted, she saw that he had picked up a random twig and was absently breaking it in his hands.

"I thought you had—" she stopped and pointed towards the spot he and Celia had been standing in.

"I just went to tell her that I needed to talk to you and that she may want to head back up to school without me." He still wasn't looking at her.

The tear on her nose dropped off as she stared at him. "Why?"

"Because I think we needed to talk."

She made a doubtful face. "I told you I was fine."

"Yeah, you obviously seem like it."

"What does it matter?" she asked as she turned away from him. "Since when did you start caring again?"

He said nothing. He broke the twig in his hand once more.

"Trust me," she continued. "Whatever you're trying to prove here by doing your good deed for the day, or whatever it is, it isn't going to achieve anything and isn't worth the lecture you're going to get from Celia. Just go."

"Yeeeah…" he said slowly. "I probably am going to hear about this later."

"Wish I could say I was sorry about that," she said looking off at the lake.

"I know," he said. "I know. You think I'm a prat."

She stared at him in surprise. This was the last thing she had expected him to say. "Well, you said it, not me."

He made a pained face. "Fair enough. But you know, I was thinking about you the other day," he broke the twig once more, "and about how shitty things are between us now, and I realized that I did the same thing to you that I always gave you shit about doing to me."

She stared at him.

"I mean, when you started hanging out with those stupid girls," he made a face, "I gave you so much shit about ditching me and only caring about what they thought…About becoming one of them. Then, I would sit there and tell you how much I disliked them, but when I started dating Celia and when you did the exact same thing to me, instead of trying to work through it, I just gave up."

"Sounds about right," she mumbled.

"I'm trying to apologize. This isn't easy."

"Well, neither is spending the last year having people think that you're the bad guy in all of this," she spat. "Having people just assume that I'm a bitch who needs to bash their friend's girlfriend for no good reason other than I'm just a mean and hateful person."

"I know," he said as he watched her. "And a lot of that was Celia's fault for pushing that."

Her jaw dropped. Did she just hear him correctly?

"I'm not saying I agree with your opinion of Celia," he continued. "Obviously that's not the case. I've just realized that she didn't help things between us much when things were falling apart."

She actually laughed at this. It was at this point where she wanted to lecture him on not only how she didn't help matters, but rather how she encouraged the dissolve of their friendship enthusiastically—but she didn't. Her laugh seemed to convey the point clear enough.

"I've realized some things about her in respect to all of this over the last few weeks," he said as he cleared his throat. "But anyway, this isn't about her. This is about us."

"Is there even an _'us'_ anymore, Ted?" she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Is there anything worth saving from this friendship if you and she are going to keep dating? When you're around her you're not even the same person I used to know."

He stared at her. "I like to think there is," he said quietly. "We've got so much history. I'd really hate to throw that away, Vic."

She blinked. There were only a handful of people in the world who called her Vic, and she'd been used to hearing it from only her family over the last year. It was almost strange to hear it uttered from Ted's mouth.

"Celia and I will never get along," she said quietly.

"I know that. I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to get along with me."

She stared at him.

"Look, I know I was a little punch-drunk in love or whatever you want to call it for awhile there when she and I started dating. I was a bit much to deal with."

"A bit?" she asked.

"OK, I was a different person that was horrible for you to be around," he said. "Happy?"

"Yes, actually."

He sighed. "You've got to cut me a little slack here, Vic. I mean you weren't exactly a treat to be around when Colleen and Penelope were breathing down your neck trying to turn you into one of their mindless clones." He took a deep breath. "That is if they haven't succeeded."

She looked insulted.

"I'm just saying that we both have been a bit much sometimes," he added. "We've both made dumb mistakes and I'm willing to forgive and forget because of how much I miss you being around." He looked out towards the lake. "Whether you feel the same way, I don't know. For all I know you're happy to be rid of me."

She didn't say anything right away. The truth was that she hadn't really thought much about missing Ted since she had all but mourned their friendship as dead months ago. A part of her knew she did miss him. She knew she wouldn't be sitting out here on her own crying her eyes out if she had had someone to truly confide in about how stressed O.W.L.s were making her, or how a horrible rumor started by Colleen was really getting to her, or how she wasn't sleeping well at night. That person had always been him. She hadn't consciously realized that his absence was taking its toll on her, but just seeing him sitting across from her at this very moment had lifted her bad mood considerably.

"You know that's not true," she said finally.

He smiled. "Well, that's a relief. I was afraid I might have had to beg."

"You would have begged?" she asked.

"I've been known to do some pretty stupid things," he said, seemingly amused. "But since you've already forgiven me, I guess we'll never know."

She laughed before taking a deep breath and staring at him. For the first time in a long time, she felt like things were normal between them. "It's weird to be talking to you again."

"It's weird that you called me Ted. Only you, my Grams, and Harry and his family call me that these days."

"I'm never going to call you T.R," she said, making a face.

He laughed. "I prefer you calling me Ted to be honest. It'd be weird if you didn't."

She smiled. "Glad that's cleared up then…"

Simon nodded as Victoire finished telling her story. "I remember him and Celia arguing that night," he said. "I mean, it might not have been that night, but it had to do with you and it was about a month and a half ago, so I wouldn't doubt it."

"What were they arguing about?"

"I didn't really pay attention," he said. "I just assumed that you two had talked and she found out and flipped out." He glanced over at Celia who was laughing with a friend about something. "I've never understood why she's had it out for you so badly. She acts as if you're some ex-girlfriend or something. She's just an insecure person."

"That doesn't surprise me," she said just as Louis returned and sat down next to her.

"I made fun of her hair when we were twelve," he continued. "And Maggie over there told me she cried for an entire afternoon. She's never worn her hair in pigtails again and gets really edgy if people comment on her hair."

"Who's this?" asked Louis.

"Celia," Simon said, gesturing over towards her in a way that Victoire wished he had made more subtle. Had Celia actually been paying attention, she would have known they were talking about her. "I'll be honest with you though, T.R really does bring out a better side of her. I know it's something you've never seen, but she does actually lighten up and have fun because he encourages her to."

"It's too bad one can't say the same thing about her effect on him," she mumbled.

"Ouch," Louis said with a laugh. Simon grinned as well.

"You're a funny girl, Vicki," he said as he stood and made a gesture to leave. "I have to get going, but we'll have to hang out when you've got holidays from school. If you deem me worthy, that is."

"Stop hitting on my sister," Louis said.

"As friends," he added quickly. Victoire laughed.

"Ignore him," she said as she stood up and hugged him. "He likes to pretend to be overprotective."

"Pretend?" Louis asked. "Who's pretending?"

"We'll definitely get together when we can," she said. "Good luck at the Ministry."

"Thanks. See you around, Louis," Simon said with a wave that Louis returned. They both watched as he walked off towards several other people to say goodnight.

"Are you almost ready to leave, too?" Louis asked.

"Yeah," she said. "Let's get Nicki and tell her we're going."

"And you didn't want to come," he said with a smirk. "At least that's what Nic was saying."

"It didn't turn out as bad as I thought," she said as she approached Dominique and the girl she happened to be speaking to.

"Are we leaving?" Dominique asked.

"Yeah," Victoire said as she started walking back towards the house. Both Dominique and Louis hesitated.

"Don't you want to go and say bye to Ted?" Louis asked.

She glanced over to where Ted was sitting with his arm around Celia and chatting with a group of people. Dominique seemed to read her thoughts. "I'll go over and tell him we're leaving."

"No, wait," Victoire said as a sudden surge of courage overcame her. "No, I'll go with you."

"Really?"

"I'm not going to keep avoiding him just because of her anymore. He's my friend. Let her squirm for a bit if she doesn't like it."

"Hear, hear," Louis said as he pumped his fist and laughed as they all made their way towards the larger group. Nobody seemed to notice them approaching until Victoire spoke.

"Hey, Ted."

No one's head turned faster than Celia's at the sound of Victoire's voice. She looked shocked to see her standing there.

"We're taking off, mate," Louis said, gesturing towards the house.

"Oh," he said as he stood and excused himself. "Already?"

"Yeah," said Victoire, "but it was a really good time."

"Glad to hear it," he said happily as he started walking towards the house with them. "I'm really glad you guys could come. You know when I get some time off from training at the hospital we'll have to get together."

"Absolutely," said Victoire as the three of them stood just outside of the backdoor. "Good luck with that by the way, the training and all."

"I'll need it, that's for sure." He smiled a little as he put out his hand to shake Louis's. Dominique gave him a playful punch in the shoulder, which he returned with a small hug. He turned towards Victoire as they both stood there awkwardly staring at each other. She knew he was thinking the same thing she was. Was a hug too much with Celia sitting just feet away? If they so much as shook hands, she had a feeling Celia would probably explode.

"Night," he said as he leaned forward and hugged her. "And honestly, thanks for coming."

She hugged him back, but let go rather quickly. She didn't dare chance a glance in Celia's direction even though she secretly wanted to.

"Night," Louis said as he opened the door and stood aside for his sisters to pass. Victoire turned to leave and couldn't help but smile widely as she heard Dominique laughing behind her. Once again, she had a feeling that she already knew what she was thinking.


	3. Photo Boxes

**6 months later.** **December 2016**

"It looks positively frigid outside," Victoire said as she sat on her bed and stared out of her bedroom window. Even though it was early afternoon, the tree outside of her window looked as if it was collecting frost along its branches.

"Because it is!" said a girl from across the room. She pulled a pair of wool socks out of a duffle bag and pulled them onto her feet.

Victoire smirked. "It's not that cold in here, Whit."

"I'm pretty chilly," she said as she stood and started trying her long mousy brown hair up into a messy ponytail.

It was two days after Christmas, and Victoire was sitting at home in her room going through several of her new presents with her friend Jane Whitters, or Whit as Victoire preferred to call her. She had known Whit since their very first day at Hogwarts—when they were both sorted into Gryffindor five and a half years ago—but they had spent those five and a half years without much to do with one another. They had shared a bedroom and a class schedule, and while they were always cordial to each other, they had run in different circles and had only recently started to become friends.

It had all been part of Victoire's plan to distance herself from her former friends and to find new ones. She had always found Whit to be a sweet, funny girl with a love for music and animals, but the more she had gotten to know her, the more she realized how personable she really was. She had an exceptionally quick wit—which Victoire had deemed the real reason for her nickname—and a well placed tenacious nature. It was nice to have a friend who told jokes to her instead of about her.

That wasn't to say that Victoire's other friends were completely out of the picture. She knew it would never be that easy. The first four months of school found the seventh-years busier than ever, as they were now bogged down with assignments and essays, most of them preparing the students for their N.E.W.T. exams. Colleen Lynch, who was actually a fairly decent student, found herself being nastier than ever as she snapped at people for breathing too loudly near her when she was trying to concentrate. She would then laugh at the person's frightened reaction with whoever was within earshot, even if this person didn't find it particularly funny. She claimed she found yelling at younger students cathartic, but Victoire found it rather obnoxious. This was just one of the hundreds of reasons she no longer wanted anything to do with these girls.

She had actually found it rather easy to distance herself from those girls by merely studying in the library or in her own room. In fact, mealtimes were the only time she couldn't avoid them completely. It had been these escapes to the library that had brought her and Whit closer together, taking only a week of small talk for Victoire to realize how much she and Whit really had in common. It had also made her realize how much she never knew about someone who'd been sleeping in the bed next to her since they were eleven.

"You sure did get a lot of photo frames for Christmas," Whit said as she started sorting through several of the gift boxes.

"I like photos," she said, gesturing around her room to the framed photographs that covered the walls.

"I can see that," Whit said as she began staring at several of them. "Is this you in Paris in this one?"

Victoire turned to look at the photo in question. It was, in fact, her mother, Dominique, Louis, and her Aunt Gabrielle standing in front of the Eiffel Tower several years previously.

"Yep," she said, hoping to get a better look at it. "Look how long my hair used to be."

"I remember in first and second-year when you had your hair down past your back. It was so long."

"I know," she said with a nostalgic smile. "I had to cut it the summer after second year because my Cousin Freddie didn't know any better and stuck this huge wad of gum in it when I wasn't looking." She laughed. "My mother was so upset."

Whit laughed. "Do you have a picture of that anywhere?"

"Hmm, I probably do." She went to her closet and opened it. She started pulling out several shoe boxes until she found the one in particular that she had been looking for. She plopped herself down on the floor and started searching through it photo by photo. "It's got to be in here."

Whit sat down next to her and grabbed at another one of the boxes. "May I?"

"Sure," she said, not looking up from the photos in her hand. Whit followed suit and began pulling out several handfuls of photographs.

"Look at how cute you were," Whit said after several minutes as she held up a photo of Victoire and her father in Egypt. She couldn't have been older than five or six and was waving happily at the camera from atop her father's shoulders.

She smiled. "I still remember that trip to Egypt. It was so hot out."

"You've been everywhere," Whit said as she continued looking through photos.

"Not really. I mean my mum's from France and her family's there so we visit a lot. Then my dad had spent a lot of time in Egypt as a curse breaker so he likes to go back and visit sometimes. That was actually the only time I got to go."

"Is that Harry Potter?" Whit asked as she held up another photo. "I mean this had to be ages ago."

Victoire took it from her. It was, in fact, a much younger version of her uncle as he sat smiling next to her Aunt Ginny as she held a newborn Victoire in her arms. Both of them still looked like teenagers.

"That was ages ago," she said, handing the photo back. "But yeah, that's him and me and Aunt Ginny. I can't be more than a couple of months old in that."

"I think it's really interesting that he's your uncle," Whit said as she continued through the photos. "And the same thing with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I mean, I was just eating Chocolate Frogs the other day on Christmas. I must have gotten each one of their cards."

"My Uncle Ron has his framed on his mantle."

"Does he really?"

Victoire nodded. "If you knew him, you'd know that that was just part of his personality. He's really funny."

"Your family is so fascinating," she said. "I mean, we learn about these people in History of Magic and you can just pop into their houses whenever you feel like it."

Victoire shrugged. "They've been a part of my life since before I knew they were anything special." She paused and looked up. "Although it was quite a trip to realize all the things Harry had done, and then a day later have him sitting across from me at dinner talking about treacle tart and nappies."

"I can imagine," Whit said with a jealous sort of sigh.

"I'll introduce you someday," she said as they continued through the boxes of photos.

"Aw, your brother was a cute kid," Whit said after a while as she smiled down at a photo of Louis with a bowl on his head.

"That was before he knew it," she said as she shook her head. "Now he's aware how cute he is, and it gets annoying."

"Is he still dating Natalie?"

"I have no idea," Victoire said as she rolled her eyes. "I can't even keep up with the girls he's dating anymore. All I know is that I rarely like any of them."

Whit grinned.

"He dated that one girl earlier this year," she said, putting the photos down as she pursed her lips in thought. "She was younger than him and really cute. Susan, I think her name was? Either way, she was a very sweet girl. I really liked her, but of course that didn't last," she sighed. "He's so clever and he knows he can have whatever girl he wants. I just wish he'd stop picking the annoying ones."

Whit laughed as Victoire stretched her arms.

"You should date him," Victoire said with a mischievous smile.

Whit's eyes went wide and she quickly shook her head. "No thanks."

"Why not!? You know, I should take a more proactive role in who my brother dates. At least with you I'd know he'd be getting a good girl."

"You know," she began, "your brother is actually not a bad guy, I'll give him that. But he's really not my type."

Victoire laughed. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's just not my type," she repeated. "I don't know. He's almost too good-looking. I like my boys to be a little more—"

"Ugly?" Victoire asked, still laughing.

"Not ugly," she said, "but rather just…not pretty."

"Don't think I won't tell Louis that you called him pretty," she teased.

"I mean someone like—" she hesitated. "You know Alex Wood?"

"Of course I do," she said as she thought of Alex. He was a rugged sort with eyebrows that were a bit too bushy for her tastes. He wasn't ugly though.

"Someone like him," she said. "Not specifically him, but just that sort of look."

"I see," said Victoire in an amused way. "So if not him specifically, then who?"

"No one, really," she said as she started to refocus on the photos in her hand. "I like older boys and most of the ones I've ever found attractive have left school."

"We'll work on that come the New Year," she said matter-of-factly. "A suitable boy for Whitters."

Whit rolled her eyes as she started flipping through photos faster and faster. She stopped and glanced down at one before she held it up. "Perhaps I should just get in line for a crack at Stuart Reynolds then?"

"Where did that come from?" Victoire asked as she grabbed it from her and started to examine it. The photo looked only a year or two old, and in it, Colleen Lynch, Elizabeth Cole, and Stuart were all sitting in the Three Broomsticks pub smiling back at the camera and laughing. "I never knew I had this picture! Look how cute he looks."

Whit furrowed her brow. "Stuart is definitely not my type."

"That's a good thing," Victoire said with a wide smile as she reached over and grabbed a pair of scissors before proceeding to cut Stuart out of the photo.

"Still after him, then?"

"Still?" she asked. "I never got a proper chance before," she paused and stared at the bit of photo she had just cut, "since he and Elizabeth ended up getting back together. At least I didn't go putting myself out there like Colleen did, only for him to tell her he was going back to his ex."

"Thrilling," said Whit sarcastically.

"You could let me get a little excited over this," she said as she placed the photo down. "They just split up again not long ago, and I know Colleen's going to try again, even though he humiliated her when he picked Elizabeth over her." She sighed, "Colleen's not a quitter though. She's just biding her time in order to avoid the same thing happening again."

"But you're not going to let that happen."

"Not if I can help it," she said brightly. "At least I've got a blank slate. Unlike her."

"Are you trying to turn this into a competition?"

"Everything with Colleen is a competition. And if this is the last battle I have to have with her, all the better."

"There are so many other boys though," Whit said as she leaned back against the wall. "Why bother fighting over this boy when you could have so many others?"

Victoire smiled a little. "Why bother letting Colleen have the one I want just because there are others available?"

"I guess," she said as she grabbed another box full of photos. Victoire grinned as she continued searching through her own box wondering if there were any other pictures of Stuart that she was unaware of.

"Who's this?" Whit asked minutes later as she stuck a photo in front of Victoire's face. It was of Victoire and Ted in the back garden of her grandparents' house as they helped degnome the garden. She looked to be about seven. He looked about nine.

"That's Ted Lupin and me," she said as she leaned back to view the picture.

"Is it really?" Whit asked, flipping the photo back around towards her. "It looks nothing like him."

"It doesn't?" she asked as she took the photo back. "Oh, that's because he's given himself a gnome nose to be funny. His nose doesn't really look like that. "

"This box is full of photos of you and him," she said as she kept flipping through it. "I never knew you two knew each other so well."

"I've known him since the day I was born." She stood up from the floor and sat down on her bed. "He's my best friend."

"He is?" she asked. "You never talk about him."

"We haven't really talked much lately about him being at school and him having left." She shrugged. "He's swamped at work from what I hear. Plus, we got in this huge row about a year and a half ago where we didn't talk for something like a year, and we only just made up before he finished school." She shrugged again. "We don't see each other much, but we're still friends."

"I never knew," Whit said as she continued looking at photos of him. "I mean, you two seem so different."

"Surprisingly," Victoire said as she scratched her nose, "we're a lot more similar than you'd think. I didn't know you knew Ted."

"I was in Gobstones Club with him."

"Gobstones Club?" Victoire asked with a short laugh. "You were in Gobstones Club?"

"For a few months," she said defensively. "It was fun for a bit. I don't know."

She laughed again.

"Oh, come on," Whit said, throwing a nearby pillow at her. "And if you're going to tease me, you might want to tease your best friend here. He was far more interested in it than I ever was."

"Oh, believe me, I have," she said, still laughing. "Ted's been a Gobstones freak for as long as I can remember and I've been giving him a hard time about it ever since," she giggled. "I'm only kidding though…mostly."

"I actually…" Whit began as she started to blush a little. "I used to think he was a little cute."

Victoire's jaw dropped. "Did you really?"

"Just a little. He was just older and I just told you how I liked older boys. Anyway, he was always so nice, and I thought it was so cool how he'd constantly change his hair color and stuff. I mean, we barely even spoke, it was so small and insignificant."

"That is amazing," Victoire said, sounding thoroughly amused.

"You don't meet too many people who are Metamorphmagi. He just always seemed so interesting." She stopped blushing and sighed. "What does he do for a living now?"

"He's in antidote research at St. Mungo's. He's working out new cures and whatnot for various ailments and diseases."

"Wow."

"Yeah," Victoire said as she glanced out the window to the frosty tree once more. "His main goal is to find a cure for the werewolf gene."

Whit stared up at her. "That's a big goal."

She smiled. "He's wanted to figure that out since we were kids. We both used to talk about doing it one day."

"Do you two have a fascination with werewolves or something?"

Victoire bit her lip, wondering if she should really go into this. "We both have had werewolf attacks in the family, so it was just a common goal for us to make it so that other people would never have to deal with the same thing."

Whit stared up at her. "Your dad…?"

"Was attacked," she finished slowly. "Yes. Thankfully he wasn't infected, just mauled."

"I wanted to ask," she said. "When I met him earlier today, I figured it had something to do with the war, since you said your parents were both active in fighting. I just thought it was the result of a hex gone wrong."

Victoire smiled sadly. "I'm just thankful he was never infected. Ted's dad wasn't so lucky."

"His dad was a werewolf?"

She nodded. "I'm telling you this in confidence, by the way."

"I won't tell anyone."

"He never knew his parents," she continued. "They were both killed in the war. But he heard about the poor treatment his dad went through because he had the unfortunate experience of being bit as a boy. To this day, Ted's set his heart on making sure other people don't have to go through the same thing." She looked out the window again. "The laws have gotten better for werewolves, but it's still a long road to fix the physical harm that the Wolfsbane Potion can do only so much to prevent."

"I would have never…" Whit said in almost a whisper. "But wait, if his dad was bitten as a boy, how did he not contract the gene?"

"He got lucky," she said. "We think the Metamorphmagus gene overpowered the werewolf one, but we don't know."

Whit sat there in complete shock as a sudden knock at the bedroom door broke the silence. It opened just a crack to reveal Victoire's father standing there.

"Hey," her father said with a smile. "Just wanted to remind you that you promised Harry and Ginny you'd watch the kids tonight."

"That's tonight?" she asked as she sat up straight.

He nodded. "You'll have to leave soon. It's nearly six."

"I'd forgotten all about that."

"I'd better go then," Whit said, throwing the remaining photos she was holding into their box. "But I'll see you for your birthday on Saturday."

"The big one-seven," her father said as he stood aside for Whit and Victoire to walk downstairs.

"I'll finally be legal!" she said. "I'll finally be able to Apparate!" She grinned. "I can even actually have a drink."

"Don't remind me," her father mumbled.


	4. Tales in Babysitting

There's some stuff to make pasta set out on the counter," Ginny said an hour later, as she and Victoire stood in the center of the Potters' living room, just minutes after Victoire had arrived. "No matter what Albus tells you, he likes it."

Victoire smiled. "Right."

"We're not really strict about their bedtimes," she continued as she began straightening out her dress robes, "but nothing too late of course. And, oh, James refuses to go to bed at the same time or before Albus and Lily. So, just make sure they're down before you start pestering him about going to bed. He'll most likely go up to his room on his own anyway, so it's not a big deal."

She nodded.

"It's not even worth arguing with him over that sort of thing anymore," she said with a sigh. "Now that he's at Hogwarts, he's ever so grown up."

Victoire smiled once more. "Ahh, I see."

"James and Al will busy themselves with this model castle sort of thing they're trying to build together, while Lily will most likely read the entire night. If James and Al do start fighting, or if they gang up on their sister, just tell them that we're not taking them to the Cannons-Wasps match tomorrow if they don't behave."

"They've been arguing a lot lately," said the sudden voice of Harry as he entered the room wearing dress robes of his own. "James seems to be on a bit of a power trip over his brother and sister now that he's in school and has a wand."

Ginny shook her head. "Fred and George were the same way with me and Ron."

"Speaking of which," said Harry, "if James brings his wand downstairs, or in any way threatens to curse Al or Lily, he's grounded."

"Got it," Victoire said.

"They're a handful," he said with an encouraging smile. "But we really appreciate you doing this for us on such short notice. Trust me, if I had my way, I would have sodded the whole thing. I'm not a fan of these Ministry banquets."

"It's my pleasure," Victoire said with a casual shrug. "I could use the money."

"Great." He smiled at her before turning that smile onto Ginny. "We should probably get going, then."

"Hey, guys!" Ginny called up the stairs, right as Harry went to grab their cloaks. "We're leaving! Vicki's here."

In that next moment, the sounds of shuffling feet and doors opening and shutting suddenly carried from the upper half of the house. Seconds later, a small, red-headed girl came running down the stairs. Her eyes twinkled and the smile on her face grew wide the second she made eye contact with Victoire.

"Victoire!" said an eight-year-old Lily Potter as she flung her arms around Victoire's waist.

"Hey, Lil," said Victoire, leaning over as much as she could to reciprocate the hug with Lily, squeezing her mid-section with all her might.

"You look so pretty," she said, still smiling at her before turning to her parents in the entrance hall. "Oh Mum, you do too!"

"Thank you, sweetheart," Ginny said as Lily ran over to hug her mother and father goodbye. Victoire watched as Harry took a few steps to the side and suddenly glanced up the stairs towards the second floor. He turned back towards Victoire and pointed up, which caused her to look as well. What she saw were two dark-haired boys peering over the edge of the banister, staring down at the group standing below them.

"Hi, guys," Victoire said with a wave.

"Hi," Albus said with a shy smile. James said nothing.

"Are you two going to come down to say goodbye?" Ginny asked.

Albus made a gesture to move; James stuck out his arm to stop him, causing Albus to look hesitantly from his brother down to his parents.

Harry sighed. "Something wrong, James?"

"I'm too old for a babysitter."

Ginny and Harry exchanged tired looks. "We know, but we already told you that Vicki's not here for you. She's here to watch Al and Lily."

"But she's still watching me."

"We weren't leaving you home alone to watch your brother and sister," Harry said matter-of-factly. "There would be no home to return to."

James sighed overdramatically and suddenly disappeared from the banister. A moment later, a door quickly slammed and Albus had turned to look at the source of the noise before he turned and made his way down the stairs.

"And he's not even a teenager yet," Harry muttered.

"Bye, Mum," Albus said, standing on his tiptoes to kiss her cheek.

"Don't let your brother mope all night," Harry said as he kissed both Lily and Albus on the tops of their heads. "And be good."

"I will!" Lily said.

Both Harry and Ginny gathered their things and waved goodbye to the group and they headed out of the door. "We'll be home around midnight," Ginny added.

"If not before. That is, if I can help it," Harry said from somewhere out of sight.

"Have fun," Victoire called after them as she watched the pair of them disappear with a pop before she turned and shut the door behind them. When she rounded on both Albus and Lily, she found them both staring at her expectantly.

"So, how have you two been?" she asked.

Albus shrugged. "OK."

"I've been great!" said Lily. "I've been reading this really wonderful story about dragons."

"That sounds fun," said Victoire as she began making her way towards the living room. "You both have gotten so big since the last time I saw you."

"I've grown almost half a foot in the last year!" Albus said, now standing up straighter.

Victoire smiled. "You definitely look much taller."

"He always looks the same to me," said Lily.

"Well, so what do you two want to do tonight?" Victoire asked. "I mean, you can do your own thing, or perhaps we can play a game?"

"Do you know how to play Extreme Exploding Snap?" asked Albus.

"Is it anything like regular Exploding Snap?"

"Not at all," Albus said, shaking his head. "It's so much more fun. James taught us how to play when he got back from school."

"You have to play with two decks of cards," Lily explained, "and the goal is to explode as many cards as possible."

"I thought the point of the game was to not be caught with the exploding cards?" Victoire asked.

"Yeah, but that's why this is more fun," said Albus before he made his way over to a nearby desk drawer and pulled out two brand new packs of cards. "Just got these for Christmas!"

"All right, I'll have a go," Victoire said as they all sat down to play a round. Of course, one round turned into two, which turned into ten, and after about forty-five minutes, Victoire found herself brushing the card ash out of her hair and checking to see if her eyebrows were still on her face. She had no idea whether she was winning or losing terribly, but Albus and Lily seemed to be enjoying themselves. Their laughter even seemed to pique their brother's curiosity from upstairs.

"Hi, James," Victoire said as she noticed him slowly making his way down. "Do you want to play?"

"No, thanks," he said, entering into the living room cautiously. A card suddenly exploded in Lily's hand and she giggled madly as Albus scored a point for her. "Who's winning?"

"I am," Albus said, checking his list. "Then Lily and then Vicki." He glanced at Victoire. "You're not very good at this."

"I know," she agreed. "I'm hopeless."

"Don't say that," encouraged Lily.

"What's for dinner?" asked James.

"Pasta of some sort."

"I hate pasta," Albus said, making a face.

"You do not," James muttered as he stared at the back of his brother's head. "You just like to be difficult."

"I like to be difficult?" Albus asked as if he had just been challenged. He reared around on his brother.

"Hey, guys," Victoire interrupted, not liking where this was potentially going. "Are you hungry?"

"Not for pasta," Albus said.

"Well, I am," Lily said, as James said, "Me too."

"OK, well, then I'll start dinner," Victoire said as she stood and dropped her remaining snap cards onto the table, "because I'm getting hungry as well."

"I'll help," said Lily, as she mimicked Victoire by throwing her cards down as well. Several of them exploded as they hit the surface.

"Those don't count because you already quit!" Albus said quickly. "That means I'm the winner! Yes!"

"Aren't you special?" James said sarcastically.

Albus cast him a dirty look.

"So, anyway, tell me, James," Victoire said in an attempt to change the subject and deter an argument as she made her way to the kitchen. "How school's going for you?"

"What's to tell?" he said, following her. "You go. You know what it's like."

"I know." She pulled out a small cauldron and took it to the sink to begin filling it with water. "But I was just wondering how it was for you."

"Why don't you use your wand to do that?" he asked, watching as the cauldron slowly filled with water.

"I'm not allowed. Not for another three days, anyway."

James stared at her; his expression now looked almost confused. "Wait, does that mean dinner's going to take fifteen minutes or something?"

Victoire stifled a small laugh. "Can you possibly make it that long?" she joked.

Lily giggled from the nearby table, but James didn't seem to find it funny at all. Instead, he chose to ignore the comment all together and returned to the subject of school. "I like Transfiguration," he said, just as Albus entered the kitchen. "And Astronomy. I hate History of Magic."

"I never liked that class much either," Victoire said as she positioned the cauldron over the fire to allow it time to boil.

"Potions is OK, I guess," he added as his mood suddenly seemed to brighten. "And the same with Herbology, but I don't think I'd like it as much if Professor Longbottom didn't teach it."

"I've always liked Professor Longbottom, too."

"He's really nice, but I've known him since before I started school there."

"Oh, have you?" asked Victoire. She was already well aware of the Potters' relationship with Professor Longbottom, but she figured she might as well let James tell the story if it kept him preoccupied.

"He's friends with mum and dad," he said. "He was in dad's year at school."

"I'd heard that somewhere," Victoire said, still smiling at him. "You know, when you get to your fifth year, he'll actually tell you some stories about the Battle of Hogwarts and his role in it all. He does it to help lighten people's moods before O.W.L.s."

"Dad's told me a lot about that night," said James. "He knew I'd hear about it at school."

"He won't tell us," Lily said with a pout.

"Because you're too little," said James obviously.

"I'm sure your dad will tell you all about it before you head off to Hogwarts too," said Victoire as she poured a box of pasta into the now boiling water. "By the time you get to be my age, you'll have heard it a hundred times."

"Do we have anything else but pasta to eat?" Albus asked. It was then that Victoire just took notice of him rummaging through the nearby pantry.

"Your mum said this was what dinner was."

"Ugggg…" He slammed the pantry door shut. "Gross."

"You're being a brat," said James.

"You are a brat!" Albus countered.

"If you guys fight," Victoire said, "I'm supposed to tell you that you don't get to go see the Quidditch match tomorrow."

They both threw each other annoyed looks, but stopped arguing. By the looks on their faces, it seemed Victoire hadn't been the first to make that threat.

Several minutes later, as Victoire dished out hot pasta to the three of them, while Albus made a face of pure disgust, Lily asked, "Do you think they mean that?"

"Mean what?"

"That they won't take us tomorrow if we're bad."

"I've wondered that, too," said Albus, who had started to drive his fork around his plate in an effort to avoid eating what was on it. "I mean, they've already got the tickets."

"Mum can get tickets to any match," James said with his mouth full. "She has people giving them to her all the time."

"So?"

"Sooooo…" said James, "it means she doesn't care about throwing these tickets out if she has to."

"I think he's right," Victoire said as she folded her napkin in her lap and picked up her fork. "Actually, I know he's right."

"Don't fight, then," Lily snapped at her brothers. "I want to go tomorrow."

"Then all you have to do is be good," said Victoire. "And you all have been so far, so just keep it up."

"James is kicking me," Albus said suddenly as he looked under the table.

"No, I'm not," he said. "It's probably Lily."

"It's not!" she said. "My legs aren't long enough."

"Someone's kicking me," said Albus, staring straight at his brother. "Stop it."

James smirked. "You're probably imagining it."

"I know it's you," Albus said, his stare turning into a glare.

"It's not!" James said, though he continued smirking.

"The person doing it better stop," said Victoire, her tone daring the kicker to proceed. When no one commented any further on being kicked, the group fell silent for a long moment.

"Victoire?" asked Lily as she adjusted herself so that she was now sitting on her legs. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Not at the moment."

"Why not?"

She laughed. "I really couldn't answer that, Lil."

"I heard some boys saying they fancied you," said James.

"Oh, did you?" she asked with an amused grin. "Were any of them over twelve?"

James considered this. "One of them is a third-year. They were just talking about how they think you're really pretty."

"That's because she is!" Lily said.

"Tell them to come around in about five years and perhaps we'll talk," Victoire joked as she chewed on the end of her pasta noodle. "Until then..."

"All of the girls fancy that one boy," James continued. "I don't know his name, but he's the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain."

Victoire smiled, and in an almost uncharacteristically dreamy sort of way, mumbled, "Stuart Reynolds."

"I guess so," he said with a shrug. "They're annoying when they talk about him."

"Is he handsome?" Lily asked Victoire.

"Very," she said, giving Lily a smile, "very, very, very."

"Do you fancy him?" Albus asked with a laugh.

"That's not something I'm going to talk about with you three."

"Why not?" asked Lily in a disappointed tone. She seemed to be extremely excited at the prospect of talking about this.

She laughed. "Well, do you have a boyfriend, Lily?"

Albus and James snorted laughter, though Lily simply shook her head.

"I don't really know any boys who aren't them," she pointed at her brothers, "or my cousins."

"I remember that feeling," Victoire said. "Oh, except I did have Ted around when I was little."

"Did you ever fancy him?" asked James.

"Maybe when I was a little younger than Lily," she said. "He was the only boy I knew."

"Ooohhh…" Albus teased.

"Oh, don't even start that," she said as she stood from the table and made her way to the sink to wash her empty plate off.

"I think Lily fancies a Muggle boy who lives down the street," said James, as he examined a piece of pasta on the tip of his fork.

"I do not!" she mumbled, though as she spoke, her cheeks began to flush.

"I think so, too," said Albus, now exchanging a mischievous smile with his brother.

"I don't!"

"She gets all giggly when she sees him down by the park," James added in a deliberate attempt to egg his sister on. Albus started making kissing noises.

"Stop it!" Lily said as her voice started to quiver.

"Leave your sister alone," said Victoire.

"It's the truth, thou—" James began before he suddenly got a face full of pasta. Lily had just thrown a fist full at him.

"Lily threw food at me!" he said before he started throwing his own pasta back at her. Albus's jaw dropped as he watched the display.

"Hey, hey!" Victoire said, rushing over towards them. "Stop that right now!"

"They're both so mean to me!" Lily screamed as she threw her last handful towards Albus. Several pieces actually landed in his open mouth.

"Stop it, now!" Victoire yelled as she managed to wedge her way in between James and Lily. It was at that exact moment that Albus chucked his own barely touched dinner directly at the pair of them; only it hit Victoire in the side, and managed to slide down the entire length of her body.

"Oh, you're kidding me," Victoire muttered right as all three kids stopped dead in their tracks. They were all staring up at her a little fearfully.

"I didn't mean to," Albus stammered. "I meant to hit—"

"Does it really matter who you meant to hit?"

"Lily started it," James mumbled sheepishly.

"Because you both were teasing me!" she said, right as tears started to slide down her cheeks. "And now we're not going to get to go and see Quidditch tomorrow and it's your fault!"

Albus' face suddenly went a little white, all while James started to look at the small mess of pasta on the floor and on the table. "We can clean it up," he pleaded. "If we clean it up, and if we're really good for the rest of the night, will you please not tell mum and dad?"

"My clothes are covered in pasta, James," Victoire said as she brushed the pieces that were still stuck to her off and onto the floor. "How do you plan on cleaning that up?"

"You could use your wand and—" He stopped and suddenly realized she was not of age yet. Not for a few more days. "Oh no…"

"It's all your fault," Lily cried as more tears fell down her face.

Victoire took a deep breath and put a consoling arm around her. "It's OK," she said, rubbing her back. "We'll work something out. It's just a little pasta." She glanced at James and Albus. "You two better clean this up."

"Why doesn't she—?" Albus began before James kicked him from under the table.

"Are you going to tell our parents?"

"I haven't decided yet," said Victoire as she wiped tears and red sauce off of Lily's face. "If you're all on your absolute best behavior for the rest of the night, and you listen to everything I ask of you, I may not." She paused. "Now, clean this up and then both of you will wash up. Lily, follow me upstairs and we'll clean you up now."

Lily sniffled and stood as Victoire led her out of the kitchen and up the stairs. "They're so mean," she said once they were upstairs and in the washroom. "I wish I didn't have any brothers."

"You don't mean that," Victoire said as she ran a washcloth under the faucet and then handed it to her.

"I do, too," she said, taking the cloth and wiping her face. "If I had sisters this would never happen."

"Sisters can be just as bad. Trust me," she sat on the toilet and found herself eye level with Lily, "sometimes worse. And your brothers will grow up."

She sniffled.

"You know, Dominique and Louis and I used to fight all the time when we were smaller, and now we get along for the most part."

Lily pulled the washcloth off of her face and looked at her.

"It's true," she said with a smile. "I can't even tell you how many pranks they used to pull on me. The fact that Uncle George would give them so much ammunition didn't help."

"James and Albus do the same thing to me. Albus got in trouble for giving me a Nosebleed Nougat last month and telling me it was a toffee."

Victoire smiled as she turned and started to run a bath. "Well, I can't make any promises, but I have a feeling things will work out one day."

"Are you going to tell mum and dad about all of this?"

"We'll see," she said as she laid a reassuring hand on Lily's head. "Don't worry about that right now, all right? Finish washing up."

Lily nodded as Victoire excused herself and made her way back down the stairs to the kitchen. As she pushed the door open, she saw that James was putting away a mop while Albus was wiping down the table. She sighed loudly, causing the both of them to look up at her.

"Do you really have to pick on her like that?" she asked, grabbing a towel for herself to help Albus with the table.

"We were only joking," said James.

"She's eight, James," Victoire said as she glanced around the room. She wished she could use her wand and clean up this mess in one flick. The spell was right on the tip of her tongue. "She's almost four years younger than you and she looks up to the two of you."

"She does not," said Albus, rolling his eyes.

"She most certainly does. You really should be nicer to her. She's the only sister you have."

James and Albus said nothing, though Victoire swore she heard one of them scoff. The pair finished cleaning in silence, and once they had finished, Victoire informed James that he was up next to bathe after Lily. After giving him a head to toe once over, she added, "You're in far worse shape than Al is."

"Do I have to take a bath, too?" Albus asked.

"Once James is done, yes."

He made a face. "I took a bath yesterday."

"Another one won't hurt you," she said as she walked back into the living room; there, she found that Lily had just returned downstairs wearing her nightgown and robe. She was carrying a small teddy bear and had a towel wrapped around her head.

Two hours later, after everyone was bathed, clean, and pasta free, Victoire sat on the couch, braiding Lily's hair as she read aloud a book about dragons and animatedly told Victoire random facts about them. James and Albus were stationed at the nearby dining room table, quietly building a model castle together. They had been so quiet, in fact, that Victoire had actually been startled by their voices once or twice as they corrected Lily on a dragon fact. She had almost forgotten they were there.

"I think I'm going to bed," said Albus with a large yawn.

Victoire looked up at the clock. It was a little after ten. "That's probably a good idea for you too, Lily." She snapped an elastic band around the end of the braid in her hair.

"Do I have to?"

"I'd say so. You can read in your bed a little longer if you'd like, but it's about time we got you settled for the night."

Lily seemed to think this was fair enough and obediently began following Albus towards the stairs. It was then that James suddenly spoke.

"Lily…"

She turned and looked at him.

"Sorry about earlier," he said without looking at her. He instead focused on gluing something that was in his hand.

Lily smiled and looked at Albus. He shrugged and nodded his head in a manner that seemed to say he felt the same way, though he wasn't about to vocalize it.

"Thank you."

Victoire gave James a very pleasant smile and followed the other two up the stairs to tuck in Lily, as per her request. Albus had let Victoire know straight away that he was plenty old enough to tuck himself in and had said, "Night," before disappearing behind his bedroom door. Victoire waved to him before she followed Lily into her room, which was decorated in purples and yellows and had posters of various horses and dragons on walls. There was a very neat and organized corner of her room where she had several framed photographs of various Quidditch players hanging on the wall; all of them were autographed to her.

"Are you going to read some more?" she asked as Lily went and climbed into her bed.

She nodded, and Victoire pulled the blankets back on her. "Just for a little bit."

"All right, then," she said with a smile as she made her way towards the door. "Not too long, though. OK?"

"OK."

"Night," Victoire said before she stepped out of the room and began to close the door.

"Vicki?"

"Yeah?" she asked, poking her head back into the bedroom.

Lily began twisting her blankets in her hands. "Are you going to tell mum and dad about earlier?"

"Between you and me?" She glanced out into the hallway to see if anyone was listening. "No."

Lily smiled widely.

"That doesn't mean I can't change my mind, though," she added as an afterthought, though she did smile. "Good night, Lil."

"Night," she said.

Victoire snapped the door shut behind her, laughing a little before she turned and noticed that Albus's bedroom room door was cracked open. A pair of bright green eyes were staring back at her, but the second they made eye contact the door snapped shut.

"Good night, Al," she said as she walked past the door and knocked on it. She made her way to the head of the stairs, but was surprised when she suddenly met James coming up.

"Going to bed?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not yet."

"Just going to hang out in your room, then?"

He nodded and continued on down the hallway towards the room Victoire knew belonged to him. "Night."

"Goodnight," she said, watching him briefly. "Oh, James?"

He turned and looked at her.

"That was very nice of you to apologize to your sister."

"I guess so."

"I think there's a good chance you may get to see Quidditch tomorrow after all," she added, knowing full well that she had caught a glimpse of the smile James's seemed to be hiding before she made her way downstairs.


	5. The Visitor

Victoire plopped back down onto a towel that she had placed on her aunt and uncle's sofa; risking a glance at her clothes, she groaned a little as she saw just how much dried sauce there was. It was caking the entire left side of her body, covering her from her abdomen to her knee. How frustrating it was knowing the exact spell that would clean this up in an instant, but yet, she couldn't use it for another three days.

With a deep breath, she looked at the clock that hung on the wall nearby. It was a quarter after ten and she had managed to get all three of the kids upstairs and to their rooms without a struggle. She supposed the sauce was a small price to pay for that alone.

She had decided not to tell Harry and Ginny about the food fight, but instead would insist that she just had had an accident. The kids had been so good, almost scarily good, for the rest of the night; the boys had even apologized to Lily. It was only fair for her to keep her end of the bargain, since, in a sense, the entire night could have ended up being one big food fight.

With a silent room now surrounding her, she reached into her bag and pulled out the large book she had been reading for a Potions essay that was due once school was back in session. She thumbed through it for several moments, searching for the chapter she needed to read, and began scanning the chapter title when a sudden fumbling at the front door made her stop. She looked up, wondering if Harry and Ginny had managed to escape their Ministry banquet as early as they had hoped.

The fumbling suddenly turned into a muffled knocking, which made her sit up straight. Her aunt and uncle obviously wouldn't be knocking on the door of their own home. Who else would be calling this late a night?

The person knocked again, and this time, the sound of a latch unlocking followed.

Victoire's stomach jumped as she stood up. She immediately reached for her wand, reminding herself that in instances of needing to protect oneself, it was perfectly acceptable to perform underage magic. She stared at the door, wondering if the person would give up and turn away. What if it was a prowler? She thought about that as she pointed her wand at the door; then she realized that prowlers don't usually knock. Then again, strangers who knock don't usually try to unlock the door on their own accord, either.

It was quiet for a long moment. Perhaps the person who had been there had left? Not wanting to wait an extra second to find out, she made a movement forward to relock the original lock and secure the door; as she did, the second lock clicked open and the door began to creak open.

She yelped as she took several steps back, tripping on the bottom stair of the staircase that had been behind her. She felt herself fall into a sitting position on one of the stairs, and immediately-with her eyes closed-grabbed her wand with two hands to point it at the intruder. She was one second away from yelling a stunning spell before the person said, "Hello?" and edged his way inside. A moment later, he added. "What are you doing?"

She lowered her wand at the familiar sounding voice and opened her eyes to focus. It took her almost an entire ten seconds to realize that the stranger she had nearly hexed was Ted Lupin.

"What are you doing!" she yelled. "You just came barging in! What was I supposed to think? I thought you were a prowler or something!"

He stared at her for a long second before taking a step towards her. "Do prowlers knock now? Why are you on the stairs?"

"I fell," she said grumpily, just as Ted reached down to help her up. She let herself grab his hand and pull her up before she started rubbing her sore backside.

"Right..." Ted said with a nod and a smirk. "Well, hi by the way. Good to see you."

Victoire stopped rubbing her backside and looked at him. She suddenly laughed as she realized how stupid this all looked, her trying to stun Ted in the middle of the Potter's entrance way.

"Hi, Ted." She smiled. "I'd give you a hug, but…" She gestured to her stained clothes.

His eyes inspected her up and down. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Pasta fight."

"It looks like a pasta war," he said bluntly.

"Casualties on both sides," she joked.

He pulled his wand out and pointed it as her, muttering, "Here, hold still," before adding, "Tergeo." Seconds later, the stain was lifted and she stood there in a clean pair clothes, completely free of any food items.

Victoire let out a relieved sigh as she pulled up the edge of his shirt to make sure he hadn't missed anything. "Thank you. I've been sitting in marinara sauce for hours now."

"I do what I can," he said as he took a few steps into the house and looked around. "So, what happened exactly?"

"James and Albus ganged up on Lily and started teasing her," she said, watching him as looked around with the quality that people touring an art gallery or museum might have. "Lily got mad and threw her dinner. They threw theirs back and I managed to get caught in the crossfire."

He laughed and glanced back at her. "Lily's a spitfire. I've told the both of them they'd better watch out for her once she's got a wand in her hand." He grinned. "You're sitting for Harry and Ginny then, I take it?"

"They're at a Ministry banquet."

"And the kids?"

"Upstairs," she said, nodding up to the second story.

"In bed?" he asked, sounding almost surprised. "You got them all in bed before-" he checked his watch, "-ten-thirty?"

She nodded.

"Wow," he said. "That is quite the feat."

"Is it supposed to be hard?" she asked with a smug smile. He grinned and Victoire couldn't help but observe the obvious change in Ted's appearance since she'd last seen him in June. In the months since his party, his long shaggy hair was gone; instead, he was now sporting neatly kept, short brown hair. It was the first time in record memory that Victoire could remember seeing his eyes without his hair falling in front of them.

"What?" he suddenly asked in a self-conscious sort of way, clearly noticing that she was staring at him.

"Your hair," she said, pointing at it. "It's just been awhile since I've seen it that short."

"Oh." He ran his hand over his head. "Yeah, it's easier for work with all the potions and explosions I deal with. The longer hair just caught on fire easier." He made a face. "I learned that the hard way."

She laughed, almost wondering if he was being serious or not. "And the brown?"

"The brown?" he asked as he tried to figure out what she meant. "Oh, you mean the color?"

She nodded.

"My boss is weird. He yells at me if I do anything with it and says it's distracting." He walked farther into the living room. "I've just gotten used to keeping it like this when I'm working, and since I just got off of work…" He trailed off and Victoire watched as his hair suddenly turned blue and back to brown again. "So yeah."

"It's not a bad look. It makes you look older and more sophisticated, you could say."

He turned back to look at her. "Does it?"

She grinned and leaned causally against the door frame of the room. "So, what are you doing here breaking into the house at this hour?"

"I wasn't…" he began before he caught her playful expression and lowered his defenses. "My key jammed."

"Excuses, excuses, Lupin."

"I just got back into town last night," he said. "I wasn't around for Christmas, and Harry had asked me to stop by when I got home."

"At ten o'clock at night?"

"It's pretty common actually," he said. "With the hours I've been working lately, it's about the only time I do get a chance to swing by."

"How's work going?" she asked, now taking several steps into the living room before sitting down on the sofa.

"Good," he said as he watched her, "busy, but good. I just got back from Russia yesterday."

Her expression quickly flashed surprised before returning to normal. She knew Ted was busy, but she had never expected him to be traveling around the world."What were you doing in Russia?"

"Meeting with one of the leading experts on dragon pox," he said, faking importance in his tone. "It's all part of this presentation I have to give on Sunday at the hospital, which if I really got into it I'd bore you to tears. So I won't. But I've been working on it for the last few months with some other researchers and some prominent healers who figure that we could be heading towards a revolutionary new vaccine that could eliminate the harsher stages of dragon pox."

"Wow…" she said with an impressed smile. "Look at you, Ted."

"It's sort of exciting. Most people think it's rather dull."

"I think it's great," she said, matching his enthusiasm. "I suppose it would have to have been pretty great to keep you locked away for the last few months with no word."

He made a face. "Yeah, I'm sorry I haven't written or anything. It really has just been crazy." He sat on the sofa opposite of her. "But how's school going? How'd you do on your O.W.L.s?"

"All ten," she smiled, "including five O's"

"Damn, that's impressive. So, what are you taking this year?"

"Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Ancient Runes," she said in one quick breath.

He let out a low whistle. "Keeping busy."

"It's what I do." She laughed a little. "But I've managed so far."

"And how are those stupid slags...?" He stopped and forced a deliberate cough. "I mean, delightful young ladies you call your friends?"

She sighed and looked away at the mere mention of those particular girl. "I don't know or care. I'm trying to distance myself from them, to be honest."

"Really?"

She nodded and glanced back at him. "I'm just tired of it all."

"I've been telling you that for years..."

"Would you like a prize?" she asked, right as multiple thoughts of Ted's lectures about her friends over the years suddenly jockeyed for placement in her mind.

"Yes, actually," he joked, nodding as he said it. "Honestly though, good for you. You're much better than those girls."

She smiled because she knew he meant that. Granted, he'd been saying it for years, but given her recent opinions of them and how far they'd fallen in her graces lately, it was always nice to hear someone agree with her. "I've started hanging out with some new people. One girl in particular is really great."

"Who is it?"

"Jane Whitters. She is in my year in Gryffindor."

"Sounds familiar," he said, now propping his feet up on the coffee table in an attempt to stretch out.

"She was in Gobstones Club for a while," she said, watching his face for recognition.

"Oh, yeah..." he said as if it'd dawned on him. "She was a nice girl. Really quiet."

"She's really sweet. We were actually talking about you just earlier today for some reason. She told me she remembers you from back in the day." She paused before laughing. "Oh, and you'll appreciate this. She also said she thought you were cute."

"That's because I am," he joked.

"And obviously so modest," she said. "I almost wanted her to go and get her head checked after I heard that."

"Oh gee, thanks, Vic."

"I suppose someone has to find you attractive," she teased.

"You're going to give me a complex."

"Oh, as if you actually believe me," she said with a shake of her head. "Plus, you've always got Celia to stroke your ego for you. You don't need me doing it."

Ted's lips pursed in a funny sort of way at that; he was quiet for beat pause before mumbling, "Yeah, about that…" He began to rub the back of his neck absently before he gave Victoire a very particular look. It was as if he expected her to know the next words out of his mouth before he said them.

She shook her head, having not caught what he was insinuating.

"No idea, huh?" he asked as he watched her. "Not even a guess?"

"What are you on about?"

"Celia and I split up."

Victoire's jaw dropped for a few seconds. She blinked a few times, but quickly her lips turned it into a smile that she couldn't control on her face.

He smirked. "I knew you'd be upset."

At that moment, she tried to wipe the smile off of her face, but couldn't seem to do it. Ted and Celia had split up? This meant no more having to deal with Celia's dirty looks or attempts to keep her and Ted from being friends. No more having to worry whether or not Celia was trying to make her look bad. And most importantly, no more Celia! Victoire almost felt that she was seconds away from doing a little dance around the living room when a sudden concern crossed her mind.

"Wait," she said, her smile faltering, "tell me you chucked her and it wasn't the other way around?"

"It was sort of mutual," he said. "But I'm the one who suggested it, if that's what you meant-"

"Ted!" She jumped up from the couch. "It's about time!"

"So, does this mean you're happy?" he joked.

"Of course I am!" she said, still smiling. "I wish I could offer you some sort of condolences, but...I'm really not sorry."

He rolled his eyes, but kept smiling; he seemed more amused by her behavior rather than anything else. "Tell me how you really feel?"

She stopped and stared at him. "Am I being a brat? This isn't still a fresh wound or anything, is it?"

"It happened months ago. I don't think about it much."

"Really?"

"The relationship was dead in the water for the last few months," he said. "It got to the point where work demanded more of my time and I barely had any time for her. We were fighting all the time and it just wasn't working anymore."

She nodded.

"I don't know," he continued. "We ended it on decent terms. I mean, we don't talk, but that's not to say we wouldn't."

"Here's hoping you don't," she said as she sat back down on the couch.

He sighed. "At least I can always count on you to be honest."

"That's my job!" she said happily. "Oh, this is a really good thing, Teddy."

"I'm glad you think so," he said as he leaned back onto the sofa and started staring absently up at the ceiling. "I've wondered a few times if I did the right thing."

"You did the right thing," she encouraged. "There's bound to be plenty of girls out there that will have you."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"I didn't mean it like that," she said, shaking her head. "I mean that you can really explore your options now and find all sorts of girls. You're not just limited to the girls at school."

"At the rate I'm going, unless she's in a lab or a hospital, it's going to be hard getting out there to find…" He trailed off and switched his train of thought abruptly. "Actually, I did meet this really pretty girl in Russia. That dragon pox guy that I was telling you about, she was his assistant. She was blonde with a really sweet face." He paused. "Great legs, but she didn't speak a word of English. That would have made things a little difficult."

Victoire smiled. "Perhaps we should try a little closer to home."

He grinned. "I'm so busy with work that it's not really a huge priority. I do miss the-" He smiled and stared up at the ceiling once more. "Nevermind."

"Sex?"

"We're not talking about this," he said, looking at her in a way that Louis had a tendency to do when she would ask him about girls or his personal life.

"You've still got hang ups talking about your sex life with me?" she asked.

"You mean lack thereof," he corrected. "And you know I feel weird talking about that with you. We just don't talk about it."

"No," she said. "It's not that we never talked about it. It's that we never really talked about Celia. See the difference?"

"This is not an invitation for you to start telling me about all the sex you've been having," he said before he made a face and laughed.

It was Victoire's turn to look put off this time. "Well, there's nothing to worry about there." She scoffed. "And wait, you don't really think I go sleeping around-?"

Ted shrugged his shoulders. He had a smirk playing at the corner of his lips as if he was amused about something.

"Honestly?" she asked as her face grew more serious.

The smirk slowly began to disappear as he started to realize that Victoire was being all of the sudden. "I was kidding. Of course I don't think that."

"You mean that?" she asked.

He stared at her looking a little shocked by the question. "Yes. I know you're not like that. I was just trying to get a rise out of you, Vic."

She turned away. "I'm just…I didn't know if perhaps you'd heard something at school last year since people like to start..." She hesitated. "Colleen started a rumor like that about me last year after Tom Haines and I spent a lot of time studying for O.W.L.s together. Apparently she was a bit jealous, but he and I honestly did nothing but study-"

"I never heard a rumor like that about you," Ted interrupted. "And if I had, I would have never believed it. I would have also thrown all of my reservations about hitting a girl out the window and smacked Colleen Lynch upside the head." He rolled his eyes. "I don't think she's really a girl anyway. More like a destroyer of people's souls. So I may not have had to compromise my integrity."

Victoire forced a smile. She couldn't help that the matter was still sensitive for her after all of the damage control she had done last year. It had been a job in itself to keep the whole school from hearing a rumor that she considered to be reputation damaging.

"And is she really one to talk?" he asked sitting up straight. "I mean she's shagged half the castle last time I checked."

"I'm not going to stoop to her level," Victoire said as she started chewing on her thumb nail.

"It's why you're a better person."

She smiled at him again; thankful that she had him back in her corner. It was comments like that that made her wish Ted was around more often.

"People like Colleen are the reason the expression, 'If you want a whore, go with Gryffindor' exist," he said.

Victoire looked slightly affronted. "Hey now…"

He laughed. "I didn't make it up!"

"Well, I suppose that's better than 'If you want a D.U.F.F go with Hufflepuff," she said as she threw Ted a smug look.

"What's a D.U.F.F again?"

"Designated ugly, fat friend."

"Clever," he said dryly.

She smiled. "I didn't make it up."

"You just need to suck up dealing with those girls for the rest of this year," he continued. "Then they'll be gone."

"I know," she said. "But there's still a lot of school and a lot of dealing with Colleen left in the year." It was in that instant that Stuart Reynolds popped in her head and the inevitable struggle between her and Colleen that she knew to be ahead of her poked at her thoughts.

"It goes by faster than you think."

"Somehow I don't think that's the case for me," she said as she made a face and thought about the rumors that were bound to surface about her this go around once Colleen got wind of her trying to go after Stuart.

"Well, come the new year," Ted continued. "I'll actually have free time again. So you can always write me if you need someone to bitch about them to."

"Will I actually get a response this time, then?" she asked, right as the two unanswered letters that she had written to him over the last few months popped into her head..

"It's a good possibility," he joked. "I swear, after Sunday my life goes somewhat back to normal again. I can go out more, I can sleep more than five hours a day, I can eat normally again…"

"Sunday," she asked as her face fell. "You can't come over on Saturday, then?"

"What's happening on Saturday?"

"My birthday."

Ted's eyes went a little wide. "Shit, your birthday," he said as the realization suddenly hit him. "That's this Saturday, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Remember, my parents are throwing me a party since it's my seventeenth? I wrote about in my last letter thinking that if I warned you with enough time you could come?"

"No, I know you did," he said as he rubbed his face absently. "And it's your seventeenth…"

"And your presentation is the very next day."

Ted looked at her; his face already apologizing for the words she knew were seconds away from following. "I'm sorry, I can't. I would, but I've just been working on this for months."

"I figured," she said as she forced a smile. She'd be lying to herself if she had said it didn't matter if Ted came or not. Sure, all of her other friends were going to be there and she knew she'd have fun regardless, but she so rarely got to see him these days.

"I'll make it up to you," he said. "Now that you'll be legal, we can go out to really cool places and have a good time when you're home from school."

"Since when have you been cool enough to get into really cool places?"

Ted laughed. "Maybe if I say it enough it'll come true."

"That just proves you're not cool," she said with a smile. "You know, it's probably better that you don't come. You'd probably get annoyed with Colleen and Aspeth and Penelope being there and-"

"You invited them?" he asked. "You hate them, but you invited them?"

"I had to," she said. "I invited loads of people and if they hadn't been-" She made an angry gesture with her hands. "Let's just say things would have been a lot worse had they not been invited."

"Now I'm actually glad I can't come," he said as he spoke and checked his watch at the same time.

"Do you have to go?" she asked as she observed him.

"I just have to get up early," he said. "I was trying to figure out how much sleep I really needed if I wanted to hang out here a little more."

"You should go, then," she said, checking the clock. "You're at the end of this project. Soon enough you'll be done with it all and you and I can hang out any old time."

He started to pull himself up off the sofa. "Still, I feel bad about your birthday."

"Don't," she said as she stood as well and started making her way towards the door. "I have one of those every year. You've only got so many chances to revolutionize medicine."

"You're making it sound far more worthwhile than it really is." He smiled. "I appreciate that."

"I'll see you later," she said as she reached up and wrapped both arms around him to hug him, noticing that he seemed taller than she remembered.

"Maybe we can hang out and do something fun before you head back to school?" he suggested as he pulled away. "You've never even seen my new place."

"You have your own place?"

"Oh, yes," he said, faking important once again. "I'm very special."

"You're special all right..." she joked, watching him as he headed out into the icy night.

"Tell Harry I stopped by," he said as he tightened his cloak.

"Good luck on your presentation," she said as she leaned against the door. "Let me know how it goes."

"Will do," he said with a quick wave, "Oh, and happy birthday."

"Thanks, Ted," she said with a smile, observing as he took a few steps into the night before disappearing with a pop. One she was gone, she shut the door behind her and made her way back towards the couch, all the while thinking about just how much Ted seemed to have grown up in the last few months. It was funny how much time-even a short amount of it-could change someone.


	6. Happy

That's getting to be really annoying," Dominique said from her bed, as she lazily flipped through a magazine.

"Are you jealous?" Victoire asked, disappearing with a small pop once more. Seconds later, she reappeared in the room again. It was the fifth time she had done it in the last several minutes, and she'd been doing it since she had gotten home after passing her Apparation test.

"No," she said as she flipped another page. "I'm just annoyed."

"Someone's grouchy."

"Someone's oddly hyper," she said, lowering the magazine and staring at her.

"I'm excited," she said as she did a ballerina spin on the spot. "Only an hour to go until the party!"

"I'm so happy you can only turn seventeen once," Dominique mumbled, just Victoire pulled out her wand and started to levitate a nearby book. Dominique reached out and pushed it back down.

"You need to get into a better mood already," Victoire said as she gave her sister a reproachful look. "You've got one hour." With that, she disappeared out of the room and reappeared downstairs in the kitchen moments later, just as her mother and father were arriving home.

"Apparating all over the place, then?" her father asked as he started placing several parcels down onto the kitchen table.

"It's a pretty great feeling," she said with a smile as she started to poke around some of the bags and boxes. her mother lightly smacked her hand.

"Don't be nosy."

"Are you hiding something?" Victoire asked.

"It's a possibility," her father said, pulling out his wand and pointing it towards the kitchen door. It opened with a click. "Have you checked out the tent outside yet, Vic?"

"Are they finished?" she asked, grabbing her cloak off of the hanger by the door and following her father outside. On the side of the house was a smaller party tent that had been put up earlier that day. Victoire had thought the tent was a bit over the top, but she couldn't ask her friends to stand around in the freezing cold all night.

"I've got to secure a Heating Charm for it," her father said as they both walked towards it. "Otherwise, you'll all be frozen solid by nine o'clock."

"I don't think too many people will hang around if that's the case," she said. Her father pulled back the entrance drape and gestured for her to step inside. It was festively decorated and several tables and chairs were set up, as was a large area for people to dance. Other, smaller, tables were lining the sides of the tent for snacks to be set up. It was exactly as Victoire had requested, since she had explicitly told her mother that she didn't want things too over the top. She wanted it to be more of a relaxed and enjoyable get-together, rather than a big to-do. She couldn't help but feel that if it wasn't so cold out, this would be far easier to achieve. But she took what she could get.

She smiled. "Perfect."

"I think you mother's a bit disappointed there aren't ice sculptures," her father said with a glance at his daughter.

"The last thing I wanted was ice sculptures," she said, checking her watch. "Oh, I should probably go and get ready."

"You go ahead," he said as one of the wizards who had set up the tent began to approach the pair of them. "I'll finish up here."

She smiled before exiting the test and began jogging back towards the house. It was a cloudy, gray day, and she couldn't help but suddenly notice the choppiness of the ocean. The waves were reaching irregularly high heights as they crashed up against the cliffs below. It was especially blustery, and the winds felt strong enough to pull her right over the edge and into the sea if she got close enough. She stopped moving any closer. It wasn't worth the risk. Not today. She turned and jogged the rest of the way to the house; eagerly throwing open the front door, she only narrowly missed her mother as she came down the stairs.

"Are you all right?" her mother asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," she said slightly out of breath. "I'm just excited."

She eyed her skeptically, but smiled. "You should probably go and get ready. Your guests will be arriving soon."

"Right," she said as she made her way towards the stairs. She was in such an energetic mood that she decided to take them two at a time until she reached the landing at the top.

"Now," she said out loud to no one. "What to do first…?"

An hour later, Victoire was pulling her wand out of her hair and letting a curl bounce to her shoulder as she examined herself in the mirror. Everything seemed to be in place, just as someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," she said as she stood and smoothed out her pale blue dress robes.

"Hey," said Louis, poking his head in. "Mum wants to know if you're almost ready."

"I think I'm good." She glanced at her brother. "How do I look?"

"Fine," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Are you wearing makeup?"

"Yes. I figured I could dress up a bit, seeing as it is my birthday."

"Wha—" he began, right as their mother suddenly called up the stairs after him.

"Louis! Jack is 'ere."

"Excellent," he said before turning away. He disappeared a moment later.

"How are your friends getting here before mine?" she called after him, following him downstairs.

"Oh, sweetheart!" her mother said as she caught sight of her daughter. "You look wonderful!"

"Thank you," she said with a large smile. She glanced into the living room and saw a stocky, muscular looking boy sitting on the couch and talking to Dominique. It was Louis's best friend, Jack Ians. He was a quiet boy with a polite and shy nature about him, which was surprising given his burly appearance. He was a Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, a Muggleborn, and probably as different from her brother as one could get, given Louis's outgoing nature. Yet they'd been the best of friends since their first-year.

"Hi Jack," she said with a small wave.

"Happy birthday," he said politely, as Louis reentered the room with two butterbeers in his hands, one of which he threw to Jack.

"Thanks," she said as she glanced at her sister. Dominique's hair was down and she was wearing a pair of Victoire's old dress robes. Her jaw dropped slightly upon seeing her younger sister.

"Mum made me," she said begrudgingly before Victoire could speak.

"I've always told you that you clean up nice," Victoire said, just as she heard the kitchen door open and shut. She turned and saw her father smiling at her as he entered.

"Everything is good to go," he said. "You look beautiful, Vic. You too, Nicki."

"Is all of the food outside already?" her mother asked.

"That it is," he said, "as are a few guests."

"Who's out there?" Victoire asked eagerly.

"George and Angelina," he said. "Then some kids I don't know."

"George and Angelina didn't bring the children?" her mother asked.

"I guess Angelina's mum is watching them," he said as he washed his hands and watched as Louis, Dominique, and Jack all passed him to go outside. He grabbed the door and held it open after them, gesturing to Victoire to follow.

"I can't go out there yet," she said. "I've got to wait for more people to arrive."

He eyed his daughter skeptically. "Why?"

"Because it'll look stupid if nobody's there and I'm standing around by myself," she said, as if it was the most obvious reasoning in the world.

"Right," he said in a manner that seemed to say he wasn't sure he wanted a further explanation. "Well, we'll be outside…Celebrating your party without you until you decide to come out."

"Let me know where there's at least twenty people there," she called after her father, as someone suddenly could be heard coming through the fireplace via the Floo Network.

"I'll see who it iz," her mother said as she walked out of the kitchen. Victoire tried to listen to see if she could recognize any voices, but all she could hear was her mother greeting, and leading them out of the front door with the instructions to go around the side of the house.

"I'm too excited to wait any longer," she said as her mother reentered the kitchen. She stood and grabbed her cloak.

"I'll wait back 'ere for a bit and guide everyone," her mother said, "but I'll be over shortly."

Victoire smiled before walking out into the chilly air of the evening. Looking up, she saw the gray sky getting darker and darker the closer evening drew. She could hear laughter and music coming from the tent; immediately she felt her heartbeat get faster the closer she approached. She could see several people queuing up outside and walking inside in groups, so she decided to make her way to the other side of the tent, where she knew another entrance was located.

"Here we are," she said as she located the entrance flap and made her way through it. She smiled as she was greeted by the sight of her friends jubilantly wandering around the tent.

"Victoire!" said Sarah Kirke, a fifth-year girl and a friend of Dominique's. "Have you been here the entire time?"

"I sort of snuck in," she said as Sarah hugged her.

"Well, happy birthday!" she added as several other faces appeared from all directions to barrage her with birthday greetings and compliments. She immediately started making the rounds, talking and talking to so many faces and people, all of whom were already enjoying the music and the night's activities. So far, everything seemed to be going terrific. People were having fun; they were all complimenting her and wishing her a happy birthday. 

"I can believe my niece is seventeen," her uncle George said as he greeted her later on with his wife, Angelina. "You all grow up fast. I'm going to turn around tomorrow and see that Freddie and Roxie have turned forty."

"They're not even ten yet," Angelina said shaking her head. "Let's not rush them any faster than we have to." She turned to Victoire. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

"Thank you," she said, as a friendly face came hustling through the crowd towards her.

"Happy birthday!" Whit said with a hug.

"Thanks!" she said. "Where have you been? I thought you said you were coming by early?"

"I got caught up with some errands," she said as she pushed her hair out of her face. "But I'm here now. You look fantastic!"

She smiled.

"Seems like everyone is here," Whit said as she scanned the faces in the room. "You sure can draw a crowd."

"I don't know about that," she said modestly as she, too, started looking around the room. There was no sign of Colleen Lynch or any of her cronies yet. Was it too much to ask that they would find better things to do tonight? "Here, let's get some punch," she said as she grabbed Whit's arm and made her way towards the snack table, where brother and several of his friends already picking their way through any of the worthy snacks.

"Here's the girl of the hour!" said Natalie Young, her brother's current girlfriend. She was a skinny girl in every sense of the word. Even her eyes looked skinny. Victoire had a sudden urge to warn her brother to keep her away from the cliffs outside; she was afraid of what one swift gust of wind would do to Natalie.

"Happy birthday," said another girl, who Victoire recognized as a seventh-year Slytherin named Mavis.

"Thank you," she said as she helped herself to some punch. "I'm glad you all could come."

A few people mumbled various pleasant responses, as Victoire caught Natalie's eye. She smiled as a gesture of good faith.

"I'm trying to convince your brother to dance," Natalie said in an overly friendly tone, as if she wanted people to think that she and Victoire were closer than they actually were.

"Good luck with that," she said with a glance towards her brother. "Louis is not a dancer."

"I told you," he said with a nod towards his sister.

"I could have told you he was miserable," Dominique said as she appeared and began helping herself punch. "He's absolute rubbish."

"Yeah, he's really bad," Jack added with a laugh as he turned his body abruptly and accidentally elbowed Whit's arm, causing her to spill punch all down the front of her robes. He stepped back and immediately grabbed at several napkins. "I'm so sorry," he said, his cheeks blushing out of embarrassment.

"It's OK," she said quickly. She took the napkins and started dabbing herself.

"Here, wait, I can fix it!" Victoire said as she pulled out her wand and cast a cleaning spell upon her. The stain lifted quickly, and Whit smiled meekly at the several people who had turned to watch the display.

"Next show is in twenty minutes, everyone," she said, still attempting to grin. "For my next trick, I think I'll slop butterbeer down my front before moving on to solid food."

A few people smiled before returning to their own conversations. Jack laughed, which was something that seemed to make Whit blush. No matter how polite and meaningless it was, she tended to freeze up whenever a member of the opposite sex paid any particular attention to her.

"Sorry," he said again, "I really am a klutz."

"Oh, it happens." She still looked rather embarrassed, but forced a brave smile. "You know, I had set out tonight to get a room full of people's attention, so 'mission accomplished.'" She smiled awkwardly. "Granted, I was hoping it was for something a bit more interesting and elegant, but having punch spilled down my front works too."

"Were you really?" asked Natalie, having clearly missed Whit's sarcasm.

Whit's face turned even pinker as she glanced around the faces slowly. "I was joking. Poorly, it seems…"

"I got it," Victoire said with a reassuring smile.

"I got it, too," Jack said. He was smiling as well.

"I still don't get it?" Natalie asked as she looked up at Louis. He shrugged as if to say he didn't either, but Victoire had a sneaking suspicion that he just didn't feel like explaining it to her.

"Sorry," Jack said. "I don't know your name?"

"I'm Jane," she said as she stuck out her hand in an awkward formal motion. Given the expression on her face, she looked as if she regretted doing it the second she had stuck it out.

He grinned and shook it back. "I'm Jack. You should at least be able to properly identify the guy who spilled the punch all over you."

"Call her Whit," Victoire said. "Everyone else does."

"Why's that?" he asked.

"My last name's Whitters," she said, still looking fairly uncomfortable. "It's just caught on over the years."

"It's cool," he said with a small smile. "What house are you in?"

"She's in Gryffindor," Victoire said with an obvious look. "She's in my year, Jack. You've had to have seen her around hundreds of times."

If Whit hadn't been embarrassed enough before, she was now mortified. She stared down at the ground and looked as if she was ready to melt into it. However, given the expression on Jack's face, he now shared in her embarrassment for having not recognized someone who he'd most likely sat right next to on one occasion or another.

"My, my," Dominique said as she smirked at Jack, "aren't we perceptive?"

"I'm sor—" he began, before several random boys appeared and started loudly greeting their group. Several noticed Victoire and started loudly singing happy birthday to her while taking turns hugging and twirling her around.

"I'm going to go and sit," Whit yelled over the commotion.

"Wait, I'll come," said Victoire as she managed to slip away from the boys, who had already focused their attention on another group of giggly girls to entertain.

"You don't have to," she said as she walked to a nearby table. "This is your party, and you should be out having fun."

"So, should you," Victoire said. "I know you're not a fan of this sort of crowd, but you still sucked it up and came for me."

"It's not that," she said with an awkward smile. "I mean, it's not that I don't like these people. It's that I barely know them." She sighed. "You saw your friend there. I'm invisible to most of these people, and I all but blend into the wall. It makes me wonder what I've been doing for the last six years at school."

"You're not blending," Victoire said as she shook her head. "You're just not running around trying to draw attention to yourself like so many of the people we go to school with do. That's a good thing."

"I think that depends on what side of it you're on," she said as several fourth-year girls came over to wish Victoire a happy birthday. She smiled and waved politely, but didn't turn away from Whit.

"You can be whatever you want," she said as she suddenly thought about herself. "Just make sure that what you're striving to be is what you really want, because one day you may wake up and realize it really isn't as fun as people make it out to be."

Whit cocked her eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Never mind." She waved her hand. "We've got an entire night to show people who haven't realized yet just how great you are. I'll introduce you to everyone here and—" She stopped speaking once she saw Whit's eyes suddenly widen in recognition of something presumably over her shoulder.

She lifted her hand in an attempt to point. "Behind you," she whispered.

"Behind me?" she asked as she turned around to see what was there. She turned so quickly that she startled the person standing there, who had his hand raised as if he was just about to tap her on the shoulder. He left it there and blinked several times in surprise.

"Hi," he said with a surprised, but pleasant smile. He had the deepest blue eyes that Victoire had ever had the pleasure of looking into. She could easily fall into them and hope never to be rescued. Now that would be a birthday present…

"Hi Stuart," she said as she felt herself get uncharacteristically smiley.

"Happy birthday," he said as his smile grew more sincere.

"Oh," she said, "thank you."

"I was actually looking all over for you," he said with a small laugh as he gestured around the room. "You're a hard woman to get a hold of."

"It's really not that hard," she said. She suddenly heard Whit deliberately attempt to turn a laugh into a cough from behind her.

"You look fantastic," he said looking her up and down. "Really fantastic."

She blushed, but smiled confidently. This was definitely a good sign. "Thank you," she said warmly. "Are you having a good time?"

"Yeah," he said with a quick nod, "I mean, I haven't really done much since I just got here, and I was looking around for you, but it seems like a great time. Are you having fun?"

"Oh, sure," she said, still smiling. "But I could always have more. It all depends on the company I choose to keep, I suppose."

Stuart returned the smile, just as Victoire turned and noticed Whit watching her with great amusement.

"Oh, Stuart," she said gesturing towards Whit and remembering her promise to introduce her to everyone. "This is my friend Jane Whitters."

"Hi," he said smiling at her.

The amused grin on Whit's face slipped away and was replaced with something that looked far more surprised. She seemed to have been taken completely off-guard by the introduction. "Um, hi."

"You're in Gryffindor, right?" he asked.

Whit nodded slowly, looking a little thunderstruck. Victoire knew that she wasn't attracted to Stuart, but there was a definite sort of magnetism about him that just pulled people in.

"I thought so," he said as he turned back towards Victoire. "Um…well, I'm going to go and grab something to eat, but maybe later if you could fit me in, I could get a dance? I know the birthday girl's time is valuable—"

"I think we can work something out," she said as she tried to hide the eagerness in her voice.

"Great," he said as he flashed his perfect smile and turned away towards the food table. She waited until he was well out of earshot before she even moved a muscle.

"Don't forget to breathe," Whit joked.

She turned and smiled at her; it was a smile that grew wider and wider by the second. That exchange could not have been anymore perfect, short of him dropping down to one knee and proposing on the spot.

"Well, there's no denying he's cute," Whit said, as Victoire slowly sat down and closed her eyes in an attempt to savor the moment. She now only had one goal for the night, and that was to get as close to Stuart as possible.

"Seems like your night," Whit added. "As it should be, since it's your birthday and all."

Victoire continued to smile as she glanced around the room. So far, this had been a wonderful evening, and it had just started! There was so much potential for the rest of the night! So much fun to be had, so many things to do! She could barely contain her excitement, until her eyes fell upon the entrance of the tent. Her stomach lurched instantly and she immediately stopped smiling. At that very moment, in walked Colleen Lynch, Aspeth Pucey, and Penelope Shears.

"Oh, bloody hell..." she mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Whit asked as she observed Victoire's instant change of mood.

"You'll see in a second," she said as she forced a very fake smile onto her face. A second earlier, Aspeth had pointed in her direction. All three girls were now making their way towards her.

Happy birthday!" Penelope said as she reached her first and hugged her.

"Happy birthday!" Aspeth said as well. "You look incredible!"

"Thanks," she said, attempting to return the enthusiasm. "Your hair looks really great."

"Do you like it?" asked Aspeth as she ran a hand through her short dark hair. "I was so afraid that chopping off so much would make it look terrible."

The truth was that her new, shorter 'do did make her face look far rounder than it had been before, but Victoire would have never said that in good conscience. Aspeth was pretty girl, but she was fighting a constant battle with her weight; even though she was, in any normal person's definition, anything but healthy looking. Then again, Colleen Lynch wasn't any normal person…

"I told her I think it makes her look squat," Colleen said as she breezed her way past Aspeth towards Victoire. "Longer hair suits her much better, but obviously, what do I know?" She smiled at Victoire. "You look lovely though, sweetheart. Happy birthday." She leaned forward and greeted her with an air kiss.

"You're too sweet," said Victoire, her tone laced with cracks of insincerity. "You look fantastic as usual."

She smiled smugly as she threw her dark hair over her shoulder. Not a single curl fell out of place as she did it. "As usual."

Victoire kept smiling and hoped she was doing a convincing enough job of it.

"Seems like everyone's here," Colleen continued.

"Yeah," she said, looking around. "I wasn't sure if you all were coming actually—"

"Why wouldn't we come to one of our closest friend's birthday parties?"

Victoire blinked a few times. "Well, for starters, it started a half an hour ago, and as my closest friends I would have thought—"

"We weren't going to be the first people here," Colleen said with a short laugh. "That would just be pathetic. No offense, dear. We planned on being a little late, of course. First rule of thumb, you know that."

"Right…" Victoire said, as Penelope and Aspeth laughed. Colleen turned around and stared at the table where Whit was sitting and quietly watching them. She made a point of averting her eyes when Colleen focused on her.

"Are you saving these seats for anyone?" Colleen asked.

"Me?" Whit asked, pretending that she hadn't been listening to everything going on.

"Who else would I be talking to?"

She grimaced. "No, I'm not."

"Of course you're not," Colleen said as she pulled out a chair and took a seat. Penelope and Aspeth followed suit. Whit made a movement to stand up when Colleen caught her eye.

"Oh, you don't have to leave," she said. "At least, not until anyone else who we'd prefer to have sitting there comes along."

"Well, in that case, I'd rather not—" Whit began, but Victoire held up a hand to stop her.

"No. Stay." She dropped her fake smile. "You were there first."

Colleen glanced up at Victoire with a smile, as if she thought this was all part of some hilarious joke. When she saw Victoire's face was stone serious, she began to frown.

"Oh, I forgot," she drawled. "You and—" She stopped and glanced at Whit. "Who are you again?"

"Her name is Jane," Victoire said, knowing full well that Colleen knew who she was.

"I forgot you and Jane are friends now," she said patronizingly. "I mean, I know we've been a little busy Vicki, but for you to drop so far—"

"Oh, give it a rest," Victoire snapped. "Drop so far? Because I've decided to make new friends?"

"Because of the friends you've chosen to make," she said with a scathing laugh. "I mean, I suppose it's only natural for you. Do you remember the people you used to hang out with before we took you in?"

"Took me in!?"

"Boring and plain," she added matter-of-factly. "Apparently, without our supervision, you fall right back into those old habits."

"Um, I can hear you," Whit said obviously. "I'm sitting right here."

"Unfortunately," Colleen said. Penelope giggled.

"You're unbelievable," said Victoire. She glanced at Whit apologetically.

"I'm aware of that," Colleen said as she stood up and stared Victoire directly in the eye. She suddenly flashed a patronizingly sweet smile. "But none of this tonight, Vicki. It's your birthday, after all, and I'd hate to spoil it for you."

Victoire half smirked, but didn't break eye contact. "You flatter yourself. But then again, someone has to, I suppose."

Colleen's face grew hard and looked as if she was ready to exchange a few choice words. However, in that moment, Stuart Reynolds reappeared as if he had been summoned by a charm. Colleen's eyes narrowed on him instantly, and she immediately stepped back from Victoire and smiled. Penelope and Aspeth both smiled as well, as if on cue.

"Oh, Stuart!" Colleen said as her mood changed in an instant to something more flirtatious and pleasant. "I had no idea you were here!"

"Yeah." He smiled. "I've been here for a bit."

"Had I known that, I would have arrived earlier!" she said as she glanced at the full table. "If only we had somewhere for you to sit…"

"By all means," Whit said. She practically threw back her chair in order to stand.

"Oh, you don't have to," Colleen said as she smiled sweetly at her. "I'd hate to be a bother."

Whit stared at her as if she had three heads, but didn't even bother to contain her laughter as she walked off towards the other side of the tent.

"Oh, it's okay," Stuart said, glancing at the seat. "I was actually making my way around and seeing who was here."

"That sounds like fun too," Colleen said. "I'd love to join you. I've been meaning to talk to you anyway—"

"Actually," Victoire interrupted as she glanced at Stuart, "Stuart, I was wondering if I could collect on that dance you had promised me earlier."

"You're the birthday girl," he said with a smile. He threw Colleen a look that seemed to assume that she would understand this reasoning, but the look on her face said that she clearly didn't.

He gestured for Victoire to lead the way towards the dance floor, and it took everything Victoire had in her not to turn to see the look on Colleen's face as they walked away. She wanted to concentrate on the positive of this moment instead of the negative. As far as she was concerned, Colleen wasn't even here.


	7. Birthday

So tell me..." Sarah Kirke asked a few hours later as she sat down between Dominique and Victoire to eat a piece of cake. "What is going on with you and Stuart?"

"I don't know," Victoire said, taking a big bite of cake.

"Bollocks," she said with a smile. "You two must have danced for a half an hour earlier. Don't think everyone here didn't see that."

"So we danced," Victoire said, unable to hide her smile.

"For a half hour straight," said Dominique, "and you looked quite cozy."

"We were just dancing and having a good time," she said with a carefree shrug.

"And…" Sarah continued, "I keep seeing you chatting and talking all over the place. Lots of smiling and laughing."

"Are you a spy or something?" asked Victoire. They both laughed.

"I'm just very observant."

"And as nosy as they come," Dominique said.

"Well," Victoire said, pointing with her fork towards the other side of the room, "Colleen seems to have cornered him now."

This was true. In fact, whenever Victoire had taken time to talk with anyone else in the room other than Stuart, Colleen had managed to swoop in on him as soon as she could. Thus far—Victoire had been counting—he had managed to escape Colleen three times; two of those times, Stuart had stopped by to talk to her instead. This time, however, most of his friends were congregated in the area where Colleen was now sitting, and thus, he seemed to be putting up with her. To Victoire's slight relief however, she did notice Colleen struggling to remain at the center of every conversation he was taking part in.

"Has anyone seen Whit?" Victoire asked no one in particular. "I haven't seen her in ages."

"Oh, I know where she is," Dominique said in a sing-song tone.

"Where?"

"Last time I saw her, she was outside talking to Mr. Jack Ians. I haven't seen either of them since, so…" She smiled.

"She was what?" Victoire asked, her eyes wide.

"That's all I know," she said, still smiling.

"Oh, is that the girl we spotted Jack with a while ago?" Sarah asked as she finished up her cake. Dominique nodded.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Victoire laughed as she stood from the table and made her way to the edge of the tent. She glanced outside and saw several people wandering around, but no one she recognized to be Whit. She went and grabbed her cloak and stepped out into the cold night. She could use some fresh air.

"Hey, fantastic party!" yelled a Slytherin boy called Flint.

"Glad you're having fun," she yelled back as she took several steps towards the group. "Aren't you cold?"

"Nothing we can't handle!" yelled another boy who Victoire couldn't see in the darkness. Several people laughed.

"Hey, Vicki!" someone called from several yards away. She glanced over and saw Whit sitting on a tree stump.

"Hey," she said making her way towards her. As she drew closer, she realized that she was sitting alone. "What are you doing out here?"

"Oh," Whit said with a small smile. "Just enjoying the evening. It's a beautiful night."

"It is," she said looking up at the sky. "It's also freezing."

"It's not so bad," she said, shrugging and smiling. She seemed quite cheerful.

"So…you're sitting out here on your own?" Victoire asked.

She shrugged again. "I haven't been alone all night."

"So I've heard." She sat down next to Whit on the stump.

"What did you hear?" she asked, her face growing serious.

"Just that you and Jack Ians were seen wandering around out here," she said playfully. She glanced at her. "What in the world is going on there?"

She shook her head, but smiled nonetheless. "We've just been talking."

"Just talking?"

"Just talking."

"Talking about what?" she asked as she began nudging her.

"Don't start," she said, her embarrassment starting to show. "We've just been talking about school and about people… Well, just about you and your brother."

"I see. And how did this happen?"

"How did we start talking?" she asked. Whit said this in a way that seems to want to downplay the situation as much as possible. "One person started speaking, and then the other commented back, and then-"

"Ha-ha," she said sarcastically, "you know what I meant."

"We just ran into each other inside and he started apologizing again. Then that turned into a conversation. The next thing I know, everyone who had been standing around us before had disappeared, and it was just the two of us. Then somehow, he and I ended up coming outside."

"You somehow ended up coming outside…" repeated Victoire. "That's how it all starts—"

"Oh, stop," Whit said, shaking her head. "It's just been chatting and nothing more."

"Chatting and nothing more," Victoire repeated. "For several hours."

"What time is it?"

"A little after ten."

"I've been out here for that long?" She stood up. "Oh my…"

"Nothing more, then?" Victoire asked as she watched her. "Generally, when you lose track of the time, it's because you're enjoying someone's company so much, and there tends to be a little something more there." She looked around. "Where is he anyway?"

"He had to use the loo," she said, still looking a little shocked by the time, "and he wanted to grab something to drink."

"Right," said Victoire as she explored Whit's face for any telling signs. "So, what do you think?"

"About what?" she asked, sitting back down. "About him wanting to use the loo, or about him wanting to get something to drink?"

"About him."

"I…" she stammered, seemingly surprised by the question. "I don't know."

Victoire laughed. "This isn't a Charms exam. You obviously find him to be at least a good guy if you've been sitting out here all night with him."

"No, I do." She nodded. "He seems great. Really nice, polite, articulate…" She hesitated.

"But?"

"He's young."

"He's just turned sixteen," said Victoire. "In October, if I remember correctly."

Whit stared at her.

"You're sixteen," she reminded her.

"I'll be seventeen in February," she said. "And I've never been attracted to younger boys. I've told you that."

"Are you attracted to Jack?"

She stared at the ground for a long while. She finally sighed.

"There's a first time for everything," said Victoire.

"And he plays Quidditch," she said as she threw her head back. "I hate Quidditch players."

"Are you trying to find reasons not to like him because you do?"

"Seems that way, doesn't it?"

"Because if we're trying to find reasons, they'd at least better be good ones." She grinned. "For example, he pushed me on the ground once when he was over playing Quidditch with Dominique, Ted, Louis, and me."

"He did?"

"He was twelve, I was thirteen," she said, still grinning. "It was actually an accident."

Whit smiled a little.

"I've always liked Jack," she continued. "He's a nice bloke. A little quiet and shy, but you two are practically perfect in that sense."

"I don't even know what to think," she said, shaking her head. "I've never done this."

"You've never done what?"

"Sat out all night in the freezing cold talking to a boy who actually seemed interested in what I had to say," she said. "Most of the conversations I have with boys are usually about schoolwork and whether or not I can help them with the answers."

Victoire smiled. "There's a first time for everything."

She sighed. "And I've never actually had someone to talk to about this sort of stuff either. In fact, I've never really had a friend who I talked about stuff any deeper than schoolwork with."

"Well, I haven't had many," Victoire said, looking off into the distance as she suddenly thought about Ted. "One by my count." She glanced at Whit. "Well, two now."

Whit smiled back at her and was quiet for a long moment. "I think I might like him."

"Then do something about it," she said with a nudge in her side. "I'm not saying you have to jump on him, but you know…let him know you're interested in getting to know him better."

"That's easy for you to say," Whit said as she started rubbing her hands together. "I watched you with Stuart, and it's so easy for you."

"He's just a boy," she said. "Just like Stuart's just a boy."

"And you left him unattended," she said, nodding towards the tent. "With Colleen lurking about?"

Victoire sighed. "He and I could get together right now and Colleen wouldn't stop going after him. She'd probably try harder. Anyway, I'd rather find out he goes for her now rather than if we were together."

"That's mature."

"I'm also hoping that he'll get annoyed with her faster this way." She smiled. "She's practically forcing her way into his eye line at every opportunity. It's bound to annoy him sooner or later because it annoys everyone else."

"Now that's more like what I expected to hear," Whit said as they both laughed.

"Hey," said a voice from behind them. Victoire turned to see Jack had reappeared with two butterbeers in his hand.

"Hiiiiiii Jack," Victoire teased. Whit quietly groaned next to her.

"Hi Victoire," Jack said with a sheepish smile. Even in the darkness, she could tell he was blushing.

"None for me, then?" she asked as she gestured towards the butterbeers. "Thanks a lot."

"I had no idea you were out here," he said, handing Whit one.

"I'm kidding." She stood up. "I was actually just leaving. Don't mind me." She smiled at them once more before turning to head back towards the tent. She felt happy that Whit was actually excited over something for once. She was owed a little fun here and there, and she deserved—

She looked up. It was then that she heard a group of voices piling out of the tent in front of her. It was one particular shrill laugh that made her stop in her tracks. Sure enough, Colleen, Penelope, and Aspeth were standing there with Stuart and two other boys, Tom Haines and Devon Whimbley. They were all standing directly in front of the tent entrance.

There was no way around them, and Victoire was in no mood to have a battle of words and dirty looks with Colleen at the moment. A part of her wanted to march up there and ask Stuart if he'd like to dance again, but at that exact moment Colleen leaned in and whispered something in his ear that made him laugh loudly. A pang of jealousy ran through her; before she really knew what she was doing, she found herself walking straight towards the group.

"I swear, it's bigger than my wand," Tom mumbled in a slurred voice. Even from ten feet away, Victoire could tell he'd somehow been drinking. "I can prove it."

"Oh," said Colleen as she noticed Victoire first. "Well, here's someone who could tell us first hand if it is in fact bigger than your wand." She smiled at her as everyone else turned to look. Victoire felt her blood boil at Colleen's attempt to dig up the rumor that had haunted her at the end of last year. She knew she was doing it in an attempt to make her look as bad as possible in front of Stuart.

"Hey, Victoire!" Tom said when he saw her. He grabbed her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "This girl is a class act. She's single handedly helped me get through O.W.L.s last year."

"Single handedly?" Aspeth said with a giggle. "Now that's impressive. I would think two hands would be more effective." Colleen and Penelope burst out laughing.

"What are you even talking about?" Tom asked as he swayed on the spot. Had Victoire not been there to support him, he would have easily fallen flat on his face.

Victoire glared at Aspeth as she attempted to support Tom. "Well Aspeth, you have far more experience in that area than I do, why don't you tell me?"

Devon laughed and Aspeth said nothing, just as Victoire knew she wouldn't. Aspeth and Penelope may have felt bold enough to make snide remarks once in a while if Colleen was around, but they rarely had the courage to have it out as Colleen often did.

"Is that Jack Ians with that Jane girl?" Penelope asked as Victoire turned to see the pair walking towards them.

"Oh, isn't that just precious…" Colleen said as she and Penelope exchanged laughs. "Do you think they're actually together, or was it just a quick shag in the woods?"

"Is your life so boring that you have to pry into everyone else's to take a piss?" Victoire snapped.

"Oooooh!" Tom laughed as he pointed at Colleen.

"Yeah," Stuart said, trying to cut the sudden tension. "I mean, who cares what they were doing. It's their business."

Colleen looked as if her head would explode as the color rose in her cheeks. Victoire almost thought she saw her hand flinch towards her wand, but she knew she wouldn't dare do that here. Not now. It was in that moment that Victoire realized that conversations with Colleen were now almost always going to turn out like this.

"Hey," said Whit as she approached Victoire. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm wonderful," she said almost immediately without taking her eyes off of Colleen.

"Hey, Jack," Stuart said with a nod towards him. Devon and Tom did the same.

"What are you guys up to?" Jack asked, oblivious to all the exchanges that had just occurred.

"We just came out for some air," Devon said with a shrug. "What about you?"

"Same thing," he said as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his cloak. An awkward silence filled the air.

"How about a game?" asked Colleen suddenly. She was still giving Victoire a very pointed look.

"What kind of game?" Tom asked as he fought to find his footing.

"What about truth or dare?"

"And how old are we?" asked Whit. Both Jack and Victoire smiled.

"That's always the excuse of people who are too afraid to play," said Aspeth.

"Or people who aren't eleven," Victoire countered. She wondered what Colleen's plan was. She wasn't the type of person to randomly suggest a game for no reason. She hated games. Well, at least the fun kind...

"It's a party, Vicki," Colleen said as she stepped into the middle of the makeshift circle that the group had created. "And as the birthday girl, you're first."

"This is stupid."

"You can't even bear a bit of fun?" Colleen asked before she glanced at Whit. "Has the boring rubbed off on you already, because if it has—"

"I'll go first," Whit interrupted. She stepped forward.

Victoire looked surprised, but not as surprised as Colleen looked. She had started smiling. "Perhaps you're not as dull as I thought there, Jane." She twirled her hair around her finger. "All right then, truth or dare?'

"Dare, whatever."

"I dare you to walk into that tent and announce, clearly, that you're looking for someone to shag. Anyone at all."

Victoire's eyes shot to Whit and immediately wondered what she would do. This was a girl who was the textbook definition of timid and shy. Making a public announcement, especially of this nature, was not something she was prone to do.

"Can I get the same one on my turn?" Tom asked just as Whit took a deep breath and started walking towards the tent. Victoire watched, her mouth agape.

"Oh!" Colleen called after her as Penelope giggled with excited apprehension. "Don't forget to call for everyone's attention!"

Whit said nothing, but continued walking into the tent before she disappeared behind the entrance flap. The group edged its way closer to the tent to better listen, when they finally heard her voice.

"Attention everyone!" Whit called. "I would just like to announce that I'm currently looking for someone to shag, so if anyone's interested…Line up!"

There was loud laughter from inside the tent, as well as from the outside. Victoire and Jack exchanged looks. Seconds later, an extremely pink-faced Whit reappeared outside. Someone from inside the tent yelled that he'd be willing, but Whit ignored him and continued walking straight to the spot she had been standing in before. Everyone else in the group was laughing hysterically.

"That was amazing," Tom said, giving her a high five. "Right on!"

"Well done, Jane," Colleen said. "Who knew someone like you could actually do something amusing." She laughed again, and Whit glared at her.

"Your turn then," Aspeth said to her.

"Right," Whit said, clapping her hands together and looking straight at Stuart. "Stuart. Truth or dare?"

"Don't make me do what you just did." He grinned and gestured towards the tent. "I'm not that brave."

Whit smiled at him. Victoire couldn't help but notice a sense of purpose in her expression.

"I'm not one for truth," he said. "Dare, I suppose."

"I dare you," she said without missing a beat, "to kiss Victoire. Right here, right now."

"Oh that's easy," Devon said in a disappointed manner.

Victoire looked straight back at Stuart. He was looking at her with an awkward grin, wondering if she had something to say on the matter. It was Colleen, however, who had the most entertaining facial expression; it was a mixture of anger, annoyance, and pure jealousy. Victoire could actually see Aspeth and Penelope watching Colleen carefully.

"That's really stupid," said Colleen. "I mean, those are the sort of dares children do."

"This entire game is for children," Whit said with an amused smile. "And if it's so stupid, then let them just get it over with." She glanced at Stuart. "That is, if you're going to do it."

Colleen looked at Stuart on the off chance that he perhaps wouldn't. However, he took a few steps forward towards Victoire. "This is awkward," he said once he was standing in front of her.

"A little bit, yeah," she said, looking around. This wasn't exactly how she had imagined this moment happening. For one thing, Colleen was not supposed to be standing there glaring at her.

"You better make it good, Stu," said Devon. "After all, it's her birthday."

"I agree," said Whit, clearly enjoying Colleen's squirming. "You really should make it one that will landmark her seventeenth birthday for her."

"As if there's not enough pressure with everyone watching," Stuart said with a laugh. He turned and looked Victoire in the eyes. She couldn't help but think how this was definitely the most awkward kiss she'd ever had as he leaned in and their lips touched.

He was a good kisser, just as she had anticipated. His lips were smooth and warm. They felt exactly as she had dreamed they would have so many times before. As wonderful a feeling as it was to be kissing him, she couldn't help but think that this would be far more enjoyable if it were private.

"I think that's long enough," mumbled Colleen. Stuart took a few extra seconds to actually pull back.

"Good work, mate," Tom said from beside them as he smacked Stuart on the back. "Nice form."

"You're an idiot," said Stuart. He smiled at Victoire and stepped in between her and Tom.

"Your turn, Stu," Devon said as the game continued on. Victoire was fully aware that she probably had a happy and stupid grin plastered on her face, but for once she didn't care. If this had been a year ago, she would have done everything in her power to try to hide the fact from Colleen. She would have done her best to fall in line, just as Aspeth and Penelope often did, and she certainly wouldn't be standing here rubbing it in Colleen's face like she was. She just didn't care anymore. It was her turn to live her life the way she wanted to, and not how Colleen saw fit.

Everyone laughed as Stuart dared Tom to strip down to his underwear and run around in the cold. He added his own spin on the dare by strutting over to the Slytherin boys that Victoire had been speaking to earlier, and then asking them if they had any sugar he could borrow. Tom then picked Penelope, who refused to do anything but truth. She managed to skirt her way around answering a question about a compromising position she had been found in last year by Professor Longbottom.

"We were just kissing," Penelope said with a cool shrug. "Professor Longbottom was overreacting when he told the McGonagall."

Victoire wanted to laugh out loud at the sheer fact that she was trying to deny what everyone knew had happened, but instead her eyes flickered towards Whit. She, too, seemed to be thinking the same thing. They both grinned at each other. In turn, Whit turned towards Jack and rolled her eyes. He stifled an amused laugh which didn't go unnoticed by the other girls. Colleen quickly leaned over and whispered something into Penelope's ear; she smiled forebodingly.

"Victoire. Truth or dare?"

She sighed. She knew this wasn't going to be good. "Dare."

"I dare you," Penelope said unable to contain her giggles, "to kiss Jack."

"No!" said both Victoire and Jack in unison. They turned and looked at each other.

"Why is everyone but me getting to kiss Victoire?" Tom asked.

"Yes, why am I getting dared to kiss everyone?" she asked as she stared hard at Colleen.

"I thought it was easy?" Colleen asked in a patronizing tone. "You didn't complain the first time."

"Her brother will kill me," Jack said matter-of-factly.

"He'll kill _me_ ," yelled Victoire. "I'm not doing it. No offense, Jack."

"None taken."

Colleen rolled her eyes. "It's just a kiss. Grow up."

"It is just a kiss," said Devon, completely oblivious to what was really going on. Victoire looked at Whit, who was staring at her with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Victoire knew exactly what Colleen was doing. Whit had challenged her. She had assured that Victoire got the chance to kiss The Boy, and now she wanted Whit to share the feeling of having to watch a boy she liked kiss someone else. For someone as fragile as Whit was when it came to boys, this wasn't what needed to happen. Even if it was just a game.

"It's not as if we're asking you to help him study for his O.W.L.s," Penelope sneered.

That was the final straw. "To hell with this," Victoire said before she stormed off towards the tent. She knew she looked as if she had just completely overreacted to the situation, and that Colleen was now having a field day by calling her a baby, but she didn't care. She threw open the entrance to the tent and found herself running smack into Louis.

"Where have you been?" he asked, looking her up and down. "People were starting to leave and they were looking for you—" He stopped and stared at her. "What's wrong?"

"What's always wrong?" she snapped.

He sighed. "What is she doing this time?"

"She's just screwing with everyone like she always does!" She stepped around her brother and walked over towards the group of people who were waving at her to come over so that they could say goodnight. She managed to calm herself down over the next fifteen minutes as she hugged and thanked everyone for coming as they piled out of the tent at the end of the night. The smiling faces and compliments of some of the people she enjoyed almost made her forget why she had been so worked up to being with. Almost.

"Happy birthday," Natalie said as she came over and hugged Victoire with Louis in tow. Victoire glanced around the tent and saw that just about everyone had gone.

"Come on," Louis said, nudging his sister. "I'm walking Nat inside to use the Floo Network."

She nodded as she followed her brother and his girlfriend out of the tent and back towards the house, past the few people who were still milling about and saying their good-nights. She scanned their faces quickly, but noticed that Colleen was nowhere in sight. Thankfully, she must have had left already.

"So, have a good night?" Louis asked as the three of them walked.

"Mostly," she said. She wasn't going to let Colleen put a damper on what was otherwise a fantastic night. She thought of kissing Stuart again, and a smile slowly crawled across her lips.

"Good," he said before stopping abruptly. Victoire, who had been walking directly behind him, walked right into him.

"Forgotten how to walk, Lou?" she asked, glancing up at him and noticing he was staring at something. She looked around him.

"Hey, Louis," said Stuart as he approached. He hadn't left yet.

"Hey," he said, shaking his hand as he glanced at his sister. Stuart and Victoire made eye contact and they both smiled. Louis took a step back.

"I'll see you back at the house then," he said as Natalie stared tugging on his sleeve.

"Okay," she called after him as she turned back to Stuart. "I'd thought you'd left."

"That would have been rude," he said. "I just wanted to thank you for inviting me. I had fun."

"You're welcome."

They both stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before Stuart turned away and laughed.

"I guess I'll see you at school then," he said.

"You can count on it."

"Great," he said, "we'll have to hang out."

"I'd like that," she said, watching him. He seemed almost as unsure as she did with what to do with this moment.

He smiled. "Um, well, goodnight."

"Night," she said as she took a step forward to hug him. He hugged her back before stepping away. He looked as if he was struggling with something he wanted to say.

"I…" he began before he laughed awkwardly. "I enjoyed…earlier that is…"

She stared at him curiously.

"It was a good kiss," he said before he made a face that seemed to say he felt ridiculous for having said that.

She smiled. "I enjoyed it too."

"Right," he said. "Well, another time then—" He paused. "We'll have to—" He shook his head. "I'm going to go now."

She laughed. "Goodnight."

"Night." He disappeared with a quick pop. She stared at the spot he had just been standing in before she sighed and shook her head. "That other time could have been now," she said out loud to no one, feeling her face. It was hot. She smiled as she made her way towards the house, feeling as if she could skip the entire way there. It was when she reached the front that she found Louis and Natalie standing and talking with Jack and Whit.

"There you are," Whit said as she stood up. "Louis told us you were saying goodnight to Stuart." She smiled encouragingly.

"Just good night," she said. "Nothing more."

"Aw, no snogging then?" Louis teased.

"No, that was earlier in the night," she said before smiling.

Louis's face twisted into astonishment. "What? Seriously?"

She rolled her eyes and glanced back at Whit. "Are you staying for a bit?"

"I can."

"I've got to get going," Natalie said glancing up at Louis. "My parents said I had to be home by eleven-thirty at the latest."

"Come on then," he said as he made a move towards the door. "Jack, are you hanging around?"

"I've actually got to go, too," he said as he stood up and glanced at Whit. "I'm spending the day with my dad tomorrow, and we're getting up early."

"Oh right," Louis said as he held the door open for Natalie to pass. He stood there waiting for Jack to follow, but he was hesitating.

"Oh," Victoire said as she glanced at Whit and realized what Jack was waiting for. "I think I'm going to go and get some pumpkin juice." She gave Whit a knowing smile. "I'll be in the kitchen."

"Okay," Whit said as Victoire made her way to the door. She pushed Louis inside as she passed.

"Let them say goodnight," she said once the door was shut behind them.

"Are they…?" he asked as he suddenly tried to peek out of the window. "When did that happen?"

"Go say goodnight to your girlfriend," she said as she tried to distract him from the window. She pointed to the living room where her parents, her aunt, and her uncle were all making small talk with Natalie. "I shouldn't have to tell you these things, Lou."

"I was!" he said as the pair of them split into separate directions. Victoire turned and went straight into the kitchen to grab some juice. She wasn't thirsty, but she needed to do something to channel her energy. She made her way back into the living room where Natalie had gone, and Louis was filling George in on how long he and she had been together.

"Iz zat everyone?" her mother asked as she sat on the couch with her father sipping a glass of wine.

"There are some people outside," Victoire said just as Dominique entered the living room. "But I think they can all Apparate. Except for Jack and Whit, but she's staying for a bit."

"Where are they?" asked her father.

"Saying goodnight," Louis said. He sat down on the sofa next to George.

"Ohhh…" her father smiled, "I see."

"It was quite amusing to see all these kids march through the living room one by one," George said with a chuckle as he gestured towards the fire. "It was like a mini parade."

"Did you have fun, Vic?" her father asked. "Now that there's only—" he checked his watch, "a half-hour left of your birthday."

"I did." She sat down on the couch with her mother. "The party was wonderful. Thank you."

"I'm glad," said her mother, kissing Victoire on the cheek. "Is the yard a mess?"

Victoire exchanged looks with both Dominique and Louis. "Not really, no."

"It mainly stayed inside the tent," added Dominique.

"Good," her mother said as she stood and pulled out her wand. She turned towards Victoire. "I suppose you'd like your presents?"

Her eyes lit up. "I'd forgotten all about those!" With a flick of her mother's wand, numerous parcels came flying into the room and began stacking themselves neatly onto the floor. By the time they had all settled, there was a fairly nice sized mound of gifts.

"We're definitely having a party for our seventeenth," Dominique said to Louis as they observed the presents. It was then that the front door opened and shut.

"Wow," said Whit as she entered and admired the haul. "Look at all of those."

"That one's mine," Jack said, picking up a small, rectangular shaped package and handing it to Victoire. "If you don't like it, Lou and Dominique told me to get it. Blame them."

Victoire laughed as she took it and started tearing the paper away. It was a picture frame. "No worries," she said. "I love picture frames. Thank you."

Jack smiled as he gestured towards the fireplace. "May I?"

"Since when do you ask?" her father joked as Jack made his way around the now crowded living room and grabbed some Floo powder.

"Night, everyone," he said.

"Night, mate," Louis said over his shoulder as he started going through Victoire's presents for himself. Seconds later, the fire blazed and he disappeared.

"That one's from us," her father said pointing to a package that had been settled onto the coffee table.

"That's the good stuff," Dominique said to her sister. Victoire reached over to unwrap the box that sat there. She opened the box to reveal a beautiful silver necklace.

"It's beautiful," she said, taking the necklace out to look at it. Dominique made a gasping noise as Victoire stared up at her parents, who were watching her in anticipation.

"Oh, it is," Angelina said from the sofa.

"I'm so glad you like it!" her mother said as she made a movement towards her daughter to help her put it on. "It is tradition. I have one just like it."

"I know, I've seen it," she said excitedly as she gazed down at her chest. "I love it!"

her father and her mother smiled proudly. her mother looked as if she could suddenly start crying.

"Those two are from us, Vicki," George said pointing to one large and one small package. Victoire already knew the large one was a box of gadgets and gifts from her uncle's shop. She received an entire boxful every year. All of his nieces and nephews did.

"That one there is from Ginny, Harry, and the kids," George said, pointing to another package. "And that green one over there is from Ron, Hermione, and the kids. They would have all loved to have come, but you know, some people have to work in the morning at their boring jobs."

"Like us, for one," her father said with a tired sigh.

"That is the beauty of having your own store." George smiled. "You set your own hours."

"Your grandparent's gift is around her somewhere," her mother said. "They sent it the other day."

"Your other set of grandparents," her father began, glancing back at Victoire, "said that you'll have to come by the house to get their gift. They want to see you."

Victoire laughed as she continued to open up various presents and exclaim in glee over the myriad of things she received. She had only made it through half the pile when her aunt announced that they had to leave in order to pick up their children from her mother's.

"We'll walk you out," her mother said, standing and patting her father on the leg. "I'd like to get a good look at the garden for myself."

"Happy birthday, kiddo," George said as he passed by Victoire and patted her on the head. "I'm sure we'll see you all around Easter holidays."

"Bye," she called after them as the four adults made their way outside. "And thank you,' she yelled at the last minute before the door shut. She smiled as she picked up another present and began to sing. "Happy birthday to me..."

"Is it still even your birthday?" asked Dominique. She checked the wall clock. It was 11:56.

"For four more minutes," Victoire said with a sad sigh as she unwrapped a bright pink knit hat from one of her friends. She pulled it on top of her head.

"Burn that hat," Louis said. "Immediately."

"I like it," she said as she searched through the pile for something else. Whit immediately held up a package.

"From Stuart," she said.

"Oh, let me see!" She grabbed at it. She looked especially funny doing this in her new hat.

"Did you really snog him tonight?" Louis asked.

Dominique's jaw dropped. "You what!?"

"What if I did?" she asked as she started to tear the paper away. "Trust me. You'll thank me when you realize who I didn't kiss." She glanced at Whit, who smiled.

"Wait! You kissed Stuart Reynolds?" Dominique exclaimed once more, but Victoire ignored her as she pulled out a pale blue scarf and started to examine it.

"It certainly clashes with your hat," Whit observed.

She threw it around her neck. It was a perfectly nice scarf, but for some reason she was a little disappointed. She wasn't sure why, seeing as she and Stuart weren't especially close. She threw off the feeling and immediately started scanning through the pile once more when a sudden knock at the front door distracted her. Everyone glanced at each other. It was almost midnight, who on earth would be calling this late at night?

"Maybe someone forgot something," Victoire said. She stood up and threw her hat and scarf off. Taking careful steps across the room, so not to step on anything, she made her way towards the door. She could hear Louis and Dominique starting to interrogate Whit about her and Jack.

"You might as well tell me," she heard Louis say. "I mean, I'll find out from Jack."

"So nosy," Victoire yelled from the entrance hall as she looked out the front window. She didn't see anyone. She opened the door a crack and saw someone standing just off to the opposite side. They turned when they heard the door open.

"I'm not too late, am I?" Ted asked as he stood there.

"Ted!" she said as her face lit up. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a break," he said just as she noticed the bags under his eyes and several days' worth of beard stubble on his face. "I figured I might be able to just catch the end of your birthday." He held out a small package. "Happy birthday."

"You didn't have to," she said as she took it and smiled at him. "You've got your thing tomorrow morning."

He shrugged. "I figured I could spare a few minutes."

"Do you want to come in?" She gestured towards the house.

"I really only stopped by to drop that off and see you on your birthday. I wish I had the time." A chime somewhere indicated that it was midnight. "And I made it just in time," he added with a cheerful smile.

"Good timing," she said, still happy with the surprise visit as she glanced down at the package he had handed her.

"I really should be going though. I've still got a few more things to do before I can go to sleep." He sighed. "If I sleep."

"Wait." She started to tear at the paper of her gift. "You've got to at least wait for me to open it."

He watched as she pulled the rest of the paper off. "I'm hoping you'll get a kick out of this. My grams had this for ages in a box, and I asked her if she'd care if I gave it to you. Plus, I know you like to collect picture frames."

She glanced down at the picture frame in her hand. Unlike the other half a dozen she had received tonight, this one already had a picture in it. The edges of the picture were worn, but the image was clear.

"Where was this taken?" she asked quietly.

"Harry and Ginny's wedding," he said as he edged closer to get a better look at it. "I can tell by the robes I'm wearing. I hated those things."

She smiled softly. In the photo, she couldn't have been any older than five, which would have made Ted about six or seven. She was dressed in a pretty green flower girl's dress and was beaming at the camera as she had her index fingers positioned at the corner of Ted's mouth, as if forcing him to smile. The Ted in the photo kept trying to squirm away from her, obviously not at all interested in being photographed.

"I was a brat," he said with a laugh as Victoire looked up at him slowly. "Anyway, I always liked that photo, so I thought maybe you would too."

"I love it," she said, clearly feeling moved by the gesture. She glanced down at it once more. With the exception of her parent's gift, this was probably the most thoughtful gift that she had received. "Thank you so much."

He smiled and suddenly seemed to remember something. He started patting at the pockets of his clothes and pulled out an envelope. "There's a card. I didn't want to forget it." He checked his watch. "I really have to go though."

"Right," she said as if being awoken from a trance. "Thank you so much for this. And for coming by."

He shrugged as if it was no big deal. "If I don't see you before you're back at school, I'll try to actually write to you this term."

She smiled at him and nodded.

"Happy birthday," he said, "and tell everyone I said hi."

"Will do." She nodded again.

"Bye." He disappeared with a pop. She stared at the spot for a long time before she glanced down at the photo in her hand once more. She noticed the card and placed the frame down in order to open it. Inside was a typical birthday wish, but in messy script off to the side, Ted had written:

_Happy birthday, Vic. Being on this side of seventeen was getting lonely without you, so it's about time you caught up. Sorry about missing your party, but here's to many good times to come (especially since I am, in fact, cool). Miss you – Ted_

She found herself reading the simple message over and over again several times before she finally realized how cold she was. She picked up her frame and made her way back inside.

"Who was it?" asked Dominique once Victoire had reentered the living room. She was now wearing several gift bows on her head.

"Ted," she said. "He stopped by to wish me a happy birthday and give me this." She held out the frame, which Whit took.

"And he didn't come in?" asked Louis. "What the hell?"

"He's got that big presentation tomorrow," she said. "He only had a few minutes."

"This is adorable," Whit said, smiling up at Victoire. Louis reached out to take it from her and laughed when he saw it.

"Look how little you both were," he said. "You were so scrawny." Dominique leaned over his shoulder to observe it as well and smiled when she saw it.

"That was really sweet of him to stop by," Whit said as Victoire observed her brother and sister looking over the photo.

"Yeah," she said as she found herself smiling, "it really was."


	8. Aboard the Hogwarts Express

Back to school," Dominique grumbled as she and her siblings all boarded the Hogwarts Express for their trip back to school. "I swear, Christmas holidays are getting shorter and shorter every year."

"I sometimes do think that they are," Victoire said as she lugged her trunk down the train's corridor in search of a compartment.

"Here's an empty one," Louis said before he slid open the door to a compartment and went inside. Victoire followed him, but Dominique said she'd see them both later and continued down the corridor to find some friends.

"Is Whit coming?" he asked once he had made himself comfortable by the window.

"Where else would she go?" Victoire asked. She pulled out a magazine from her trunk before stowing it away. "This is the train to school."

"You know what I meant," he mumbled, glancing out the window. He suddenly started tapping on it obnoxiously.

Victoire watched him curiously. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to get Jack's attention," he said before he stood and walked towards the door. "I don't think he saw me. I'll be back."

She watched him go before she kicked her feet up on the seats across from her and stretched out. She knew she wouldn't have the compartment to herself for very long, so she'd better take advantage of the space now. Feeling slightly restless, she flipped open her magazine and started flicking through page after page in search of something interesting to read. She was excited to go back, but at the same time, she was completely dreading everything that she knew to be waiting for her. She wished it could be seventh-year already. Sixth-year could not end fast enough.

The sound of the compartment door opening again made her look up. Jack and Louis were making their way inside, lugging Jack's trunk behind them.

"Hi, Jack," Victoire said as she pulled her feet from the seat she had propped them on.

"Hi," he said with a grunt, and he and Louis pushed his trunk onto the luggage railings. They both laughed once they managed the task, and then they plopped down on the opposite sides of the compartment from each other.

Seeing Jack made Victoire suddenly wonder what was keeping Whit. Whit had kept relatively quiet on the subject of Jack and herself since the night of Victoire's birthday—Louis and Dominique never did get their answers out of her. In fact, if the topic did happen to come up, she'd often change it abruptly to something else. The only information Victoire had managed to get out of her was that that the pair of them had hugged goodnight and said they'd see each other at school.

"Just hugged?" Victoire had asked.

"Just hugged," Whit said in a disconnected tone. "What exactly did you expect?"

"Not really sure," she said as she thought over what she had heard about Jack's dating past. He had briefly dated another girl in his year during their fourth year, but that was the extent of it. She knew nothing of how he usually went about this sort of thing, or of how interested he really was.

"I'm nowhere near as aggressive as you can be," said Whit. "I'm just taking things day by day."

"I'm not aggressive," Victoire said as she thought about the boys she had pursued over the years. There was Malcolm Abernathy, her first boyfriend during her fourth year, but that didn't last very long, and she distinctly remembered him taking the initiative. Then there was David Thorpe at the beginning of her fifth year. In this case, she remembered being far less shy and more confident around him, so perhaps she approached it more actively. Still, she wouldn't consider herself aggressive, per se.

"Is the snack trolley open before we take off?" asked Jack, his voice interrupting Victoire's thoughts.

Louis shrugged. "I'm sure you could find something. Or you could just wait it out until it comes along."

"Want to go and see?"

"Yeah, I'll go with you."

"No, I mean do you want to go and look for me?" Jack joked. They both laughed before they stood.

"You want anything, Vic?" Louis asked.

She shook her head, and the two of them left in search of the trolley. She turned back to her magazine and began to take a quiz that determined "What Kind of Witch Are You?" when she heard the compartment door open once again.

"Hi Vicki," said Natalie once she poked her head inside. "Have you seen your brother?"

"He and Jack went to find the snack trolley," Victoire said, only half paying attention to her. She was trying to determine what her idea of the perfect date was given in the choices in the quiz. Did she prefer a long walk down the beach or a picnic on the mountain side?

"Oh," Natalie said as she entered the compartment and took a seat. Victoire glanced at her quickly. Apparently, she was going to wait here for Louis.

"Is that the newest Young Witches magazine?" Natalie asked after a long silence.

Victoire nodded as she checked off an answer with her quill.

"I read that from cover to cover yesterday," she said, still talking. "I was so bored after I finished packing my trunk."

Victoire smiled politely at her before returning to her quiz.

"I took that quiz," she added. "I got 'Sweetest Witch.'"

Victoire looked up again. Natalie obviously wanted to talk. It wasn't even that Victoire really had anything against Natalie; it was just that she constantly wanted to talk. There was no such thing as a quiet moment when Natalie Young was in a room. The only problem was that, besides Louis, the two had very little in common, and often had very little to talk about. She tended to remind Victoire of a kinder and more thoughtful version of Penelope Shears. Boy crazy, very girly, slightly dim, and easily influenced by stronger personalities.

"By the looks of things," Victoire said once she flipped to the last page of the quiz, "I'm an 'Independent Witch.'" She paused. "I suppose 'Opinionated Witch' isn't an option?"

Natalie laughed loudly. Victoire wasn't really sure why.

"Hello," said a familiar voice as the compartment door slid open again and Whit stepped inside. "I knew you'd be here first."

"I was wondering what was keeping you," Victoire said.

"You know me," she said as the train's whistle blew loudly to signify its departure. She suddenly screwed her face up and, in a very Colleen Lynch like tone, exclaimed, "I just couldn't be one of the first people here, Vicki. That would have just been pathetic."

Victoire made a horrified face. "That was almost eerily accurate!"

"Who was that supposed to be?" Natalie asked. "I think I know, but…"

"Take a guess," said Victoire as the train lurched forward and began its long trip back to school.

She hesitated. "Colleen Lynch?"

"Ding, ding." Whit smiled. "Glad to see I can do her justice."

"I thought you and Colleen were friends?" Natalie asked Victoire.

She let out a short laugh. "We are—" she took her fingers and made air quotes, "friends."

"What do you mean?" Natalie asked. Just then, the compartment door slide open again, and Louis and Jack reentered. Their hands were empty, which indicated that they clearly hadn't found the snack trolley.

"Hey!" Louis said as he went and sat down next to Natalie. "How are you?"

"Good," she said as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Victoire smirked. "Aw, how cute."

"Bugger off," he mumbled.

"Louis William Weasley," she said in a very sisterly tone. "That's no way to talk to a lady."

"Good thing you're my sister, then," he said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pack of cards. "Now, who wants to play?"

"I will," Jack said. He casually sat down next to Whit and across from Louis. He turned towards Whit. "Do you want to play?"

"Sure," she said as Louis started dealing between the three of them. Victoire grinned, but said nothing.

"So, wait," Natalie said to Victoire, "you didn't finish telling me why you're not friends with Colleen Lynch anymore?"

Louis snorted.

"It was a long time coming," Victoire said. "I'm tired of the way she treats people." She sighed. "Tired of the way she treated me."

Natalie nodded, but she still looked rather surprised. "I just thought you were rather close."

"We were never really close. We may have seemed that way at times, but trust me, I never trusted her as far as I could hex her."

"Really?" she asked. She sounded genuinely surprised.

"I mean we had some fun times," she said as she stared out the window. "When I was younger and didn't know any better. Funnily enough, hanging around her made me more confident. You'd think it'd be the opposite, what with how she hurts everyone in order to keep herself on top—"

"Rumor has it she likes being on top," Louis joked. Natalie swatted him.

"Anyway," Victoire continued after rolling her eyes at her brother. "One day, I just realized what she was doing, and I got sick of it all. She and I started arguing, and then once I started challenging her more, she got annoyed. It all came to a head last year when she went all out to get back at me."

"What happened?" she asked with extreme interest.

"She started a rumor about Tom Haines and me."

"You mean that's not true?!" Louis joked as he blatantly faked being shocked. Victoire grinned.

"I remember hearing that," Natalie said slowly. "I didn't think it sounded right."

"It never happened," Victoire said. "But Colleen will do whatever it takes to knock down anyone who she thinks is in her way."

"Which means shit is going to hit the fan once this whole Stuart Reynolds thing gets played out," Louis added, throwing several cards onto the ground.

"I'm bracing myself already," Victoire said heavily. "But I just don't care anymore."

"When I was in my third and fourth years, I used to want to be friends with your group so badly," Natalie said with a small smile. "I just thought you were all so fun and popular."

"You're better off," Victoire said honestly.

"How did you all become friends to begin with?"

She sighed. "It's a long story."

"We've got loads of time," Natalie encouraged. Louis groaned.

"Well, in that case," Victoire said as she looked at her brother. She knew it was probably the last thing he wanted to hear recounted, but he was being a smartarse more than usual today. "It all began about three years ago…"

A thirteen-year-old Victoire sat up straighter as she watched three boys enter the library and make their way over to a nearby table. Two of the boys were older, probably fifth-years. The other boy, the one with the dark blonde hair that she'd been noticing all over school lately, she knew he was only a fourth-year. She also knew he was in Ravenclaw, and that he played Chaser for their Quidditch team. She'd seen him last week when they played Slytherin. That was all she really knew about him. She didn't even know his name, although she'd like to.

She smiled a little as she watched them grab a table by the window and laugh about something that was probably very funny. The librarian, Madam Pince, shot them a dirty look from nearby, but they didn't even seem to notice.

"Hi, Victoire," said a girl as she walked by her table and waved.

"Hi," she said brightly. It was funny, really. Ever since her third-year had started, people seemed more and more interested in talking to her. People she didn't even know were greeting her in the halls and at meals. She had wondered if it was because of her haircut—she grabbed the ends of her hair and examined it—but that couldn't have been it. She hadn't really cut that much off over the summer.

The boys over at the far table laughed again. It was an infectious sort of laugh that made her want to laugh, too, even though she had no idea what the joke was. She watched as Madam Pince scolded them for being disruptive. They certainly took notice this time. as they all opened their books and rolled their eyes.

She frowned slightly. She wished the boy with the dark blonde hair would randomly start talking to her in the halls. She slowly began to smile as she pictured how it would go. She would learn his name, and he hers, and then she was sure she would be able to interest him with her witty jokes and comments. She was sure it would be that easy. At least, it was that easy in her head.

"Hey, Vic," said Ted Lupin as he startled her out of her daydream. He plopped down in the chair across from her and grinned. She had to blink a few times to adjust her eyes to him. His hair was an obnoxious shade of bright green today. "What are you doing?"

"Um," she stammered as she glanced down at her open book on the table trying to remember what she had been doing. "Oh, I have to write a ten inch essay on the Goblin Rebellion of 1612."

He made a face. "Fun."

"What are you doing?"

He shrugged. "I have to grab a book for a Defense Against the Dark Arts essay I have to do later. Then I've got Gobstones Club."

"Fun," she said sarcastically.

He shook his head. "You used to love playing Gobstones."

"I still like playing," she said. "Just…" she hesitated, "not enough to join the club."

"Why not?"

"Because it's practically like asking people to laugh at you."

"Nobody laughs at me," he said.

"Not to your face," she said with a smile. "But I'll have you know that behind your back, I'm laughing at you."

"You don't count," he said. "And why do you care what other people think?"

"I'd like people to like me."

"People aren't going to not like you just because you're in a club."

"That's not true," she said, picking up her History of Magic textbook. "Clubs and organizations can often grow larger and more powerful, and if set upon the wrong pretenses, terrible things can happen." She flipped to the end of the book and pointed to a specific page. "Look at the Death Eaters."

"I don't think they were a club," Ted said. "And you're really stretching—"

"A group of people with common goals and interests who meet to share and partake in said interests is a club," she interrupted in her best instructional tone. "Just because they didn't call themselves 'The Death Eaters Club' doesn't mean that they weren't, in fact, held to the same standards that clubs are."

He stared at her.

"It's all right here," she said with a playful smile as she held up her book to him.

He shook his head. "Somehow, I don't think that the Gobstones Club is going to grow to try to destroy all of magical society."

"You never know," she joked just as Ted's friend, Simon, came hustling over to the table.

"Hey," he said as he struggled to catch his breath. "You find the book yet?"

"I haven't even looked," Ted said, standing up. "I've been having it out with the queen of debate here."

Victoire laughed.

"Hi Victoire," Simon said with a silly sort of smile. "You look really nice."

"Thanks," she said politely.

Ted stared at Simon before rolling his eyes. "Come on," he said. "Let's go find it already so we can get downstairs." He glanced back at Victoire. "There's still time to change your mind."

She smiled and shook her head slowly. He sighed and followed Simon off into the large shelves of books as she picked up her quill and started scribbling some random facts down about goblins. Ted and his Gobstones…One of these days, he would stop asking her if she was ever going join the Gobstones Club, and that would definitely be the day that—

"You're Victoire Weasley," said a voice as she slowly looked up. Standing in front of her was Colleen Lynch, a pretty and popular fourth-year girl, who, along with her friends, was the group that everyone always talked about. She was Muggleborn and her parents were apparently very wealthy. Her family had a huge mansion house where they threw elaborate parties and—rumor had it—kept a panther as a pet.

"Yes?" Victoire asked, wondering if she was asking her or telling her this.

"I'm Colleen Lynch," she said as she took a seat across from her. "We're in the same house."

She nodded. "I know."

"Of course you do," she said sweetly as two more girls approached the table giggling about something. "Oh, and these are my friends." She pointed to the taller girl with curly hair. "I'm sure you've seen Penelope around the common room as well. And," she pointed to the shorter one with dark hair, "this is Aspeth. She's in Slytherin."

"Hi," Victoire said to the pair of them. They both returned the smile and pulled out the remaining two chairs.

"You don't mind if we join you, do you?" Colleen asked.

She shook her head as Aspeth picked up the front of Victoire's book to see what it was. She made a face as she dropped it back on the table. "Ugg, I hate History of Magic. Binns is such a bore."

"I wish they'd toss him already," Penelope added.

"Can you even toss a ghost?" Colleen asked with a derisive laugh. "They probably don't, because if they hired someone new, they'd have to pay him."

All three girls laughed as Victoire smiled a little. She was still very curious as to why they were sitting with her when there were plenty of open tables. Even stranger still was the fact that they hadn't at all made an attempt to take out any books or parchment from their bags.

"So, Victoire," Colleen said with a smile, "what do you like to do for fun?"

She blinked. She suddenly felt as if she was being interviewed. "The usual stuff, really. Hang out with friends and…" She paused, trying to think of something interesting to say. "Whatever."

Colleen smiled and nodded her head. "That's what we like to do as well."

She forced a smile too, unsure why she should care about that. However, Colleen was one of the most popular girls in school, so she felt almost obligated to listen.

"You seem like a really fun girl," Aspeth added from beside her. "And we're looking for more fun friends."

"You are?" she asked.

"Of course we are," Colleen said. "Who wouldn't want more fun people around?" She looked Victoire up and down. "Plus, you're pretty."

"Thank you," she said slowly.

"You probably are already well aware of that, though," Colleen continued. "We've heard boys talking about you."

"You have?" she asked, intrigued by this comment.

The girls giggled. "You can't blame them, really."

Victoire didn't know what to say to this. She smiled.

"So," she said, "with that being said, we wanted to know if perhaps you'd like to start hanging out with us?"

"Me?" she said. "You barely even know me."

"Which is why we want you to hang around," Colleen said obviously. "So we can get to know you."

Victoire didn't know what to say to this either. Here were some of the most popular girls in school, and they wanted her as a friend? Why her? What had she done that was so special?

"Before you agree to this though," Colleen continued in an almost business like tone, "there are a few things you have to know."

"What do you mean?"

"Guidelines," Aspeth quipped.

"First," Colleen said, "if you are going to start hanging out with us, you've got to always look your best. No jumping out of bed to go to class without fixing your hair and making sure your clothes are always neat and pressed."

"Okay," Victoire said with a nod. That was easy, since she already did that.

"Secondly," she said, "you can't invite anyone to join us unless it's a group decision."

"How do you mean?" Victoire asked.

"What we're doing right now to you," Colleen said, gesturing between her and Victoire, "all three of us agreed to. You can't just suddenly bring someone in without the others' approval."

She thought this was strange. Wasn't friendship something that just happened, and not something that needed to be planned out like a battle?

"Third," Aspeth said, "you can only date boys that are of a certain caliber."

"Caliber?" Victoire asked.

Colleen laughed. "It's not as bad as it sounds. Of course, there are the popular boys who are always acceptable, and after hanging out with us for a bit you'll realize exactly who they are. Then there are the boys with potential, who you can date but you should check with us first."

Victoire arched her eyebrow skeptically.

"Then," Colleen said with a heavy breath, "there are the boys who are completely unacceptable and…" She paused and laughed. "If you don't know who they are already, then we've got loads of work to do with you."

"So, I can't just go out with whomever I want?" she asked.

"Trust us," Penelope said. "Once you start hanging out with us, the only boys you'll want to date are the ones that are acceptable."

"Exactly," Colleen said before she turned and looked around the library. "Do you see that table of boys over there?" She pointed to the table where the Ravenclaw boy with the dark blonde hair sat.

"Yes," Victoire said, staring straight into the back of his head.

"Those are the acceptable kinds of boys," she said with a smile. "And…" She turned around and started scanning the library. At that very moment, Simon appeared from the shelves with a book in his hand.

"That one," Colleen said pointing directly at him. "The pudgy Hufflepuff one? He's the unacceptable kind."

Victoire didn't know what to say to that. Simon had always been very sweet to her, but she couldn't stop thinking about the boy with the dark blonde hair. Could being friends with these girls get him to notice her?

"Why is the kid with the funny hair staring at us?" Aspeth asked.

Victoire turned away from the Ravenclaw boy to where Aspeth was looking. Ted was looking directly at her with a look of utter surprise and confusion on his face. It almost looked as if someone had hit him upside the head with a Bludger. She knew it was because of her current company.

"Everyone stares at us, Aspeth," Colleen said without turning around.

"Yes, but it's an odd look," Aspeth said. Colleen turned to see for herself.

"Oh, he's my friend," Victoire said. "He's probably just surprised to see me…" She stopped short of saying, 'with you girls.'

"You're friends with the funny-haired kid?" Colleen asked.

"His name is Ted."

"Right," said Colleen in an uninterested tone.

"Isn't he Harry Potter's godson or something?" Penelope asked. "I thought I heard that somewhere."

"Is he really?" Colleen asked, turning around to look at him once more. By now, he had turned away and followed Simon to check their book out.

"Yeah, he is," Victoire said. "I've known him my entire life through Harry Potter. He's my uncle."

"That kid is your uncle?" Penelope asked.

Colleen's eyes rolled heavily into her head. "I think she meant Harry Potter was her uncle."

"Is he really?" asked Aspeth.

"I thought Harry Potter was an orphan?" Penelope said. "How do you have nieces and nephews if you're an orphan?"

"He married my dad's sister," Victoire said obviously.

"Ohhhh," Penelope said, nodding thoughtfully.

"Well, I guess the kid with the weird hair has something going for him, then," Colleen said with a quick laugh.

"His name is Ted," Victoire corrected once more.

Colleen stared at her, apparently amused by her spunk. "At dinner tonight, come and sit with us."

She stared at her. She was weighing the pros and cons in her head of becoming friends with these girls. On one hand, they didn't seem to be able to see past people's appearances, and they often judged them based on their looks alone. On the other hand, they were popular and commanded a lot of respect around the school.

At that moment, the boys from the far table stood up and started gathering their things. As they started to walk out, one of them detoured and made his way over to their table. The other two followed.

"Hey, girls," said the one with dark hair as he passed by and smiled.

"Hi, Tobias," Colleen said, smiling. "Hi, David. Hi, Stuart."

"Hey," said the other two boys, including the dark blonde one. The one standing next to him stopped and pointed straight at Victoire.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"Oh, this is Victoire," Colleen said with a glance from him to her. "She's a third-year and our new friend."

"A third-year?" he asked with a laugh. "I would have at least pegged you for a fourth-year."

Victoire blushed.

"That's David," Colleen said as she watched Victoire's face with amusement. "The taller one is Tobias, and this one," she playfully grabbed and the dark blonde one's arm, "is Stuart."

"Hi," Stuart said with a friendly smile. Victoire was suddenly very happy she was sitting down.

"So, dinner then?" Colleen asked Victoire once more.

Victoire managed to tear her eyes away from Stuart to Colleen again. She stared at her blankly for just one moment. "I'll be there."


	9. Confusing Invitations

It had been a week since school had been back in session and lessons were already becoming more and more stressful. Victoire's crowded schedule allowed for very little free time, and the lack of this was certainly starting to show in her face. She had decided to seek refuge in the library, since the common room had become a den of noise and laughter for the younger students. At times, it was also a hostile environment if anyone got in the way of the fifth or seventh-years. They were already bogged down by loads of pre-exam work, even though their tests were still months away.

"What are the properties of Amortentia again?" Cassandra Holmes asked as she sat with Victoire and Whit one evening in the library. Cassandra was a sixth-year Ravenclaw who often spent a lot of time in the library studying. She was a nervous sort of person, who you wouldn't want to jump out and scare, for fear of causing her to suffer a panic attack. It was she who would often overreact to every exam and question ever posed to her, and most of the professors had learned to not call on her randomly for fear of her getting overly worked up. Victoire had actually made a point to avoid her at all cost during O.W.L.s last year. Not that they had ever been especially close - her nervous nature tended to grate on Victoire's own nerves - but Cassandra and Whit had always been friendly with each other, and she was always in the library whenever she and Victoire would turn up.

"They're on one of the first few pages of the chapter on it," Victoire said. "I remember seeing it."

She frowned. "I can't find it."

"I've only got a few more runes translations to do," Victoire said. "I was planning on doing Potions next, if you want to wait."

Cassandra dropped her quill and sighed. "I just have the hardest time with Potions."

"Why'd you keep taking it then?" Whit asked as she continued mapping out an elaborate star system for her Astronomy project.

"I want to be a Healer," Cassandra said, "and you need a full knowledge of the subject to be one."

"You want to be a Healer?" Whit asked. She had looked up from her work and was now staring at her, dumbstruck.

"Yes," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Is that surprising?"

Whit and Victoire exchanged glances. One would think someone as on edge as Cassandra wouldn't want to get involved in a field with so many unexpected maladies and illnesses coming at her all the time.

"Don't you think that's a bit of a stressful career choice?" Whit asked.

She considered this. "I think it would be a bit of a challenge."

"A challenge of life and death," Whit said, shaking her head and returning to her star map.

"All right," Victoire said as she shut her runes text and pulled out her Potions work. "Amortentia properties, here we go…"

"It's a fascinating potion, isn't it?" Cassandra asked.

"It can be," Victoire said. "But I've heard enough accidental dosages stories to know that it's really more bothersome than amusing."

"Have you ever taken any?" she asked.

Victoire shook her head. "No, but my uncle sells it in some of the products in his store. I got to sit in one day and listen to a lady complain that it didn't work on her boyfriend and that he still left her." She grinned. "Turns out, he hadn't taken the love potion she had given him, but rather figured out she was trying to dose him with it. That's the real reason he left."

Whit laughed.

"It was funny," she continued, "but still, my other uncle said he accidentally got dosed with some when he was here at school and that it was a nightmare. He said he lost all control of himself."

"It is scary stuff," Whit said, shaking her head. "Think of someone being so obsessed with you that they feel the need to drug you to get you to love them."

Victoire nodded as she started to take down the properties of the potions on her parchment. Cassandra followed suit, and they worked in silence for several minutes until Cassandra stopped and started frustratingly searching through her books.

"What's wrong?" Victoire asked.

"Question seven," she said. "What scent does Amortentia give off? I can remember the smells in my head, but I can't find it in the book to double check."

"It's different for everyone," Victoire said before she looked back down at her own work. "You essentially smell things you love."

Cassandra stared at her with a puzzled expression. "Is that the answer?"

"It's on page five hundred and fifty-three if you want to double check." She gestured to a page with her quill.

Cassandra looked in the book and seemed surprised to see the answer was, in fact, right there. "How fascinating. What did you smell, then, Victoire?"

Victoire leaned back in her seat as if trying to remember. "The ocean, my mum's chocolate soufflé, and the smell of the Potions laboratory."

"Oh, please tell me you're joking." Whit laughed. "I mean, I know you love Potions, but to smell it—"

"I don't know," Victoire said, laughing as well. "It's just what I smelled. I wasn't aware I liked Potions that much, either."

"Perhaps you just fancy Professor Holt?" Whit joked. Victoire made a face. The elderly Potions Master was certainly not her cup of tea.

"I smelled sunflowers," Cassandra began, "and rain and raspberries."

"Sure you didn't detect a whiff of the Transfiguration room?" Whit teased. "Perhaps some of the Herbology greenhouses?"

"Ha-ha," said Victoire. "I knew you'd give me a hard time. Perhaps you should take a stroll down in the dungeons to see what you'd smell? Maybe a little ode de a certain fifth-year Quidditch player-"

"Okay, okay," she said hurriedly, glancing quickly at Cassandra. Whit still tended to get embarrassed at any mention of her current crush.

Victoire sighed as she suddenly found it hard to focus. She was too worked up and felt like doing something. "I think I'm going to go back to the common room," she said, shutting her potions book. "I'm tired of working tonight."

"I'm almost done with this," Whit said as she scanned her star system that was taking up half of the table. "So, I'll probably be back soon."

"See you then," Victoire said as she threw the rest of her supplies into her bag and lugged it over her shoulder. She headed straight for the exit when she remembered she had planned on checking out a book on magical jungle life for Herbology. She doubled back and smiled as she approached Madam Pince's desk. In turn, Madame Pince eyed her wearily.

"Hi," Victoire said. "Where would I be able to find a book on jungle life and its magical plant inhabitants?"

"In the Herbology section," she said with a gesture towards the back of the library. "Third row."

"Thank you," she said as she made her way back towards where she had pointed. She scanned the shelves quickly, but saw no mention of the book in question. It had most likely already been checked out. She supposed she could go ask Madam Pince for the name of who had taken it, but the librarian didn't seem in the best of moods, and it was getting rather late. She turned and walked straight out of the aisle and narrowly missed someone who was passing by.

"Oh, sorry!" she said.

"It's okay," the boy said as he glanced back at her before stopping and smiling. It was Stuart.

"Hi," she said, sounding surprised. "What are you doing here so late?"

"Trying to catch up on some work," Stuart said. "I can't get a thing done in my common room, so I've sort of had to start sneaking off and hiding in the library and hoping no one finds me."

She grinned. "I'm sorry for finding you, then."

He smiled. "I don't mind being found by you."

She could feel herself blush and was thankful it was rather dark here in the aisles of the library. In fact, given the candle light dancing on the walls, the mood was rather romantic. It was too bad they were in the library.

"Are you headed back to your common room?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," she said with a nod. "I think I've done enough studying for the night."

"I'll walk with you, then," he said as he started walking towards the exit. She smiled as they both left the library together and began walking the halls towards the grand staircase. She usually would have taken a well-known shortcut up to the top where Gryffindor tower was, but this time she had a strong desire to take the stairs all the way. She glanced at Stuart as he yawned widely. He looked exhausted.

"Tired?" she asked for lack of something better to say.

He nodded. "I just haven't had any time lately, it seems. Today, I skipped breakfast because I hadn't gotten to sleep until late last night. Then, I went to class all day and rushed to finish my homework during breaks. Then, I had Quidditch practice right after that until about an hour ago, and now I'm here."

"That sounds rough," she said as they climbed the stairs.

"I'm killing myself," he said with a tired laugh. "It's bad enough we play your lot next and you guys are actually really good this year, so we've got to practice even more."

Victoire smiled. She knew the Ravenclaw team was struggling this year, having lost most of their players at the end of last term. The new team didn't seem to be functioning quite as well as they had hoped. Gryffindor was a shoe in to win, but she wasn't going to tell Stuart that.

"Only a few more months," he said. "Then I'm done."

"Very true," she agreed. "What do you want to do after that?"

He was quiet for a moment as they continued to climb the stairs. "I'm not really sure. I've been exploring a lot of options, but I haven't settled on anything."

"You've got time," she said once they reached the landing where the stairs split off towards the separate towers. "Plus, there's always Easter holidays to look forward to for a bit of a break. Even Hogsmeade weekends."

"Yeah, I heard the next one was early next month."

"I haven't heard anything." She shrugged. "But there's usually always one in February, so I wouldn't doubt it."

He grinned at her. "Well, perhaps whenever we end up finding out, we can make plans to hang out."

She tried to keep her smile cool. Was he asking her out, or just making a casual agreement to see each other in Hogsmeade? "Sure. Yeah, of course."

"It's early, I know," he said as he put his foot on the first stair heading towards Ravenclaw tower, "but it should be fun."

"Yeah," she agreed. She felt herself smiling stupidly.

"I'm this way." He pointed up the stairs towards his common room. "So, I guess I'll see you later."

"Right," she said as she pointed towards her staircase. "I'm…I'm that way. I'll see you."

He smiled before he started jogging up the stairs. Victoire turned and started slowly walking up her own stairs. She wasn't sure what had just happened, but either way, he'd definitely expressed an interest in seeing her in an out of school setting. She knew she'd spend the rest of the night lying in bed and dissecting what the words "plan to hang out that day" really meant. She was hoping Whit would return soon so she could run it by her, but apparently, "almost being done" with her homework actually meant another three hours worth of work. Something Victoire found out the next morning at breakfast.

"I realized I had the entire left half of my bloody system upside down," Whit said grumpily as she poured herself juice the following morning. "It's due today, so I had to finish it. I stayed in the library until Madam Pince kicked me out, and then I was up in the common room until who knows how late."

"I didn't hear you come in last night," Victoire said as she spooned oatmeal into her bowl. "I was already asleep."

"I know. I could hear you snoring."

She made a face. "I don't snore."

"I've slept next to you for five and a half years now. Trust me, you do."

Her jaw dropped. "How come no one's ever told me?"

Whit shrugged. "It's not that bad. You're not rattling the windows or anything like that."

"I never knew—" Victoire began as Colleen and Penelope suddenly walked past the table. Colleen stared Victoire down, but said nothing. In fact, they had spoken very little to each other since school had restarted. The pair made their way to the other end of the table and - as if they had planned on it - turned and stared at Victoire again before looking away. For some reason, the entire incident jogged Victoire's memory of her encounter with Stuart the night before.

"What do you think it means when a boy asks you to hang out in Hogsmeade with him?" she asked.

"A boy or a boy named Stuart?" Whit asked as she took a large bite of her toast.

"A boy named Stuart," she said. She quickly began to recall the details of the conversation she had had last night.

Whit shrugged. "I think that after hearing what you told me on your birthday, and this now, it's a safe bet to say he fancies you at least in some way."

"Yes, but does that mean this could be a date or just that he wants to see me at some point because we're friends?"

Whit shrugged again as she chewed her toast. "He sure didn't make it very clear."

"Tell me about it," she mumbled.

At that very moment, the sound of fluttering owls suddenly cascaded the Great Hall from above as they delivered the daily mail. A large brown barn owl dropped a letter and a copy of the Daily Prophet down in front of Whit while Victoire's family's owl, Hensley, appeared with a package and a letter from her parents. Another owl dropped another letter down in front of her before flying away.

"My mum is going to America," said Whit, reading one of the letters in her hands. "She'll be there for two weeks."

"For work or for fun?" Victoire asked as she opened up the package her parents had sent.

"For both, I guess," she said as she continued to scan the letter. "She never goes anywhere when I'm home, but the second I get to school she's popping off everywhere."

Victoire smiled as she opened the box to reveal a homemade chocolate soufflé, courtesy of her mother. She smiled happily. "It's almost as if she knew I was craving it."

Whit took a peek over the box top to inspect it for herself. "You'll share, right?"

"Maybe…" she joked. She put the letter from her parents aside to first open the other letter she had received. She tore open the envelope to reveal a single piece of parchment. She scanned the letter quickly, a crooked frown materializing at her lips. "What a brat."

"Who's a brat?" Whit asked.

She handed the letter to Whit. In turn, she read the single sentence on the page.

_I told you I would write._

_-Ted_

Whit smiled and handed the letter back to Victoire. "I bet he put a lot of thought into that."

"He's a smartarse is what he is," Victoire mumbled just as she suddenly had a bright idea. She reached into her bag and pulled out a quill and a bottle of ink. She flipped the letter over and grinned as she scribbled:

_I was hoping for more than a handful of words, but I can see how that would be asking for a lot from you. Perhaps next time I'll get two sentences! Maybe one day a paragraph. A girl can dream. Regardless, I have a question for you. If a boy says he wants to hang out with you (destination Hogemeade) what exactly does that mean? Please be as specific as possible, since I'm utterly clueless on the matter. I'll be eagerly anticipating your reply…of two sentences._

_With love, Vic_

She laughed to herself as she glanced up at Whit, who was reading what she had written upside down.

"I don't get it?" Whit said. "What's so funny?"

"Ted hates me coming to him with questions about boys," she said with a smile as she started to fold up the parchment. "The only thing he hates talking about more with me is his sex life." She paused. "Actually, he'd probably be even more uncomfortable with me talking about mine, if I had one."

Whit stared at her questioningly.

"Trust me," she said as she beckoned to Hensley, who was still poking around on the table looking for scraps. "He'll know I'm doing this to get back at him for thinking it's cute to write me a sentence." She smiled. "He's not the only one who can be a smartarse."


	10. A Truce

It took a little over a week, but sure enough Victoire had got the exact response she has expected from Ted. She smiled to herself as she read the letter back to herself in the middle of her morning Transfiguration lesson. Professor Ivanson was busy reviewing the more advanced stages of human transfiguration theory that they had learned before Christmas holidays in an attempt to refresh the class. Luckily, he was paying more attention to the blackboard than Victoire.

"And of course you must concentrate," Ivanson said as he pointed his wand towards a large banner above the board with the phrase, 'You must concentrate' written across it in large letters. "I've been telling all of you this since your first year. It only becomes more important the more advanced the magic becomes…"

Victoire glanced back down at her letter. Transfiguration was never her favorite subject, or her easiest, but she felt that she had understood the principles the first time through well enough to tune out the review. This was mostly because she had something worthwhile to distract her.

_Vic-_

_You did that on purpose… Well, just for that, I'm actually going to give you advice. I don't know who this guy is (who is it?) but I promise you that he's asking you in the hopes that he can touch you inappropriately. There's no such thing as any boy asking you to do anything without thinking that. That's reason enough for you to stay away from whoever the wanker is (which I bet he is having seen the boys you usually go after)._

_Hope that helps._

_Look two paragraphs already (and yes, the second one counts). I saw Simon the other day and he asked about you and sends his love. He's got a girlfriend now, so he may actually be over you. I'll believe it when I see it. It was bound to happen one day, though. He looks all official when he's in his ministry garb. You'd get a laugh out of it, so you'll have to come and have a look._

_Oh, and my presentation went well. I forgot to tell you that. It actually went amazingly well, which means more work for me. Now instead of having to answer to one person, I get to answer to six. You're probably very jealous._

_Hope all is well,_

_Ted_

She laughed to herself as she glanced up at Ivanson. He was trying to re-explain a concept to Alex Wood that he wasn't grasping. She took the opportunity to reach into her bag and pull out another sheet of parchment. She casually set it on her desk before setting to work on a response.

_Ted,_

_It certainly took you long enough! I suppose I can overlook that since you actually filled an entire sheet of parchment. That must have taken you hours! Tell Simon I send my love as well and that I'm happy for him. You can also tell him I'm sorry he has to wear such ridiculous robes to work, but that I would still like to see it and have a laugh with you. Perhaps you should leave that last part out?_

_Congratulations on work! And to think, none of us thought you would amount to much. Haha. I'm kidding of course. Honestly though, I'm very proud and even a little (a very little) jealous. That's only because I wish I was done with school already and working on my own already. Bah._

_Also, why do you automatically assume that a boy would just want to fool around? Perhaps he just enjoys my company? I mean, by your logic, what does that make you? You most certainly have asked me to hang out in the past, so that makes you either a liar or a pervert. Now which one is it? Decisions, decisions._

_It's Stuart Reynolds, by the way. I'm sure you're rolling your eyes as you read that. Hopefully the next time I write to you, I'll be able to give you some more interesting news on me and him, but unfortunately, we've barely spoken since I last wrote. Were you the one who told me that inter-house relationships never work and were a waste of time? I'll have to prove you wrong!_

"I want you all to make a review sheet for this information," Ivanson's voice called out as Victoire made an attempt to shield her note. "I can't stress to you how important this is for your N.E.W.T.s. Now one last thing before I dismiss you for the day…"

She slowly pulled the letter back out to quickly finish it before the lesson ended.

_Ivanson is babbling as I write this. I think I can safely say that this is my least favorite class. Anyway, you had better keep writing and distracting me. It's the only thing saving me from complete and utter boredom._

_With Love xoxo-_

_Victoire Weasley_

She stared at the letter. Why she had signed it with her last name she didn't know, but she chuckled to herself and quickly scanned it once more when the bell rang. Ivanson was yelling that he would be checking review sheets next class as Victoire folded up the letter and placed it inside of her bag next to the letter she had written her parents.

"I'm think I'm going to nap before lunch," Whit said as she met Victoire at the front of the Transfiguration room. "I'm exhausted, and I've got Care of Magical Creature this afternoon and I like to make sure I'm alert for that class." She made a face. "Especially since I never know what exactly Professor Hagrid is going to pull on us."

"I'm going to run to the owlery," Victoire said. "I've got some letters I'd like to send."

"I'll see you in Charms, then," Whit said with a wave before the two went their separate ways with Victoire heading off towards the owlery. The hike up to the in the West Tower tended to wind her on a good day, let alone a day where she had decided to carry her heavy school bag along with her. By the last spiral staircase, she was cursing herself for not bothering to drop her bag off as she wiped several beads of sweat off of her forehead. She pushed open the door and felt a cool draft upsweep her hair. Several owls screeched and hooted at the newest arrival as she tried her best not to slip in the owl droppings that covered the floor.

"Here we are," she said, taking down an alert looking tawny owl that belonged to the school. She attached the letter she had written to Ted to its leg and sent it off. She watched it fly away for several moments before glancing around the circular walls for Hensley. He was usually always here unless she or Dominique had sent him out. On very rare occasions, Louis would use him.

"Drat…" she said with an annoyed sigh as she realized that Hensley was in fact missing from amongst the owls. She looked back at the school owls and found a large barn one whom she decided was suitable enough. She tied the letter she had written to her parents to its leg and watched as the owl hesitated for a few moments before flying out into the chilly morning.

She watched this one fly away for much longer as it slowly became smaller and smaller against the horizon. She glanced down at the hem of her robes and made sure they were hiked up enough to not track through the bird and rodent remains as she side stepped her way towards the door. Right as she laid her hand on the knob, it opened.

"Oh, watch out!" Victoire called so that the person wouldn't swing the door back and hit her.

"Victoire," said Colleen, appearing just on the other side with a letter in hand.

"Colleen," Victoire said, stopping in her tracks.

They both stared at each other for what seemed like a long moment, right until Colleen walked further into the owlery and straight over to a small gray owl. Victoire chose to not further the encounter any more than she had to and made her way towards the exit.

"I heard you fancy Stuart," Colleen said as she began attaching a letter to her owl's long leg.

"From me most likely," Victoire muttered, stopping once again. "I've been telling you that for three years now."

Colleen didn't look at her. She seemed to be struggling with attaching her letter. "I heard he asked you to Hogsmeade."

Victoire stared at her. The only person she had even mentioned that to was Whit, and she knew she hadn't told anyone. How on earth did Colleen know about that?

"Stuart told me," she added.

Victoire's heart skipped. She was almost tempted to press her further for what exactly he had said, but she had to remind herself who she was speaking to.

"You know," Colleen continued, "I'm tired of the fighting."

Victoire tilted her head to the side and wondered if she had misunderstood her. "Sorry?"

"I'm tired of the fighting," she repeated. "It seems like everything in my life is a fight."

Victoire said nothing, but that wasn't because of lack of something to say on the matter. She bit her tongue.

"My parents are getting divorced," Colleen said. "Daddy's met someone new."

Victoire watched her, unsure of what to do. She had a strong desire to run towards the door and get out while she could, but a very small part of her suddenly felt a sense of pity for Colleen.

"He and mum haven't been getting along for a year now," she continued, now staring out the window. "Lots of fighting and we all knew he was cheating on her. It was inevitable."

"Um, sorry?" Victoire said.

She sighed. "They've been pulling me into the middle of it and trying to make me pick sides."

"That's awful," Victoire offered. For all her horrible traits, Colleen was still human and probably somewhere had feelings. Victoire couldn't pinpoint where, but she was sure they were somewhere deep down inside.

"I'd like to be friends again," she continued, "but I know that's not exactly something you're too keen on." She looked at her. "Fine. Whatever. But that doesn't mean we can't stop with the ridiculous arguments."

"I agree," she said, still wondering what she was playing at.

"I want to call a sort of truce," she said before she sent her owl out of a window and watched as it flew away. "I won't bother you and you won't bother me."

Victoire laughed. "So, you're not thinking up some hot little rumor in your head right now about how I've shagged Merlin himself?"

"I don't even know why I ever started that Tom Haines rumor to begin with," she said with a wave of her hand. "I was probably bored and annoyed with you."

Victoire's mouth tensed. "Well, that makes it all better, then," she muttered.

"I told you that I'm not asking to be the best of friends," she said coldly. "I'm asking that we can coexist without me constantly worrying about what you're planning to do. I have my parents and N.E.W.T.s and more important things to worry about."

Victoire made a face. "You didn't seem to care too much when I was about to sit for my O.W.L.s and was dealing with everyone whispering about me and Tom."

"I said I was sorry for that."

"Actually, you didn't."

She frowned. "Well, then I'm sorry."

"Right..." Victoire said, feeling as if there was really nothing left to be said. She grabbed at the door when one last thought crossed her mind. "The truth is Colleen, you don't have to worry about me planning anything because I don't enjoy playing your games."

"I wanted you to know," Colleen said, ad if ignoring Victoire all together, "that even though it seems that Stuart may be particularly interested in you now, I'm not going to stop trying to change his mind."

She sighed. "Of course you're not..."

"But I'm not going to stoop to dirty tricks against you to get him," she added. "I think that's fair."

Victoire didn't trust her tone, but realized she was no worse off than she was without her making the claim. She might as well agree to it. "Fine."

"So, we have a truce?"

"If it makes you feel better."

She smiled. "I'm glad."

"Sure," Victoire muttered, unable to think of anything more to say. Instead of trying to come up with anything further, she turned and started making her way back downstairs. She didn't even want to question Colleen's sudden change of heart because the truth was she didn't believe a word that came out of her mouth. In fact, she was now more apprehensive of what was going to happen than she had been before.

"Go Ravenclaw!" someone yelled in the entrance hall as everyone piled outside of the castle the following morning. It was the first Quidditch match of the new school year, and a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of everyday school life and problems - even if it was dreary and rainy outside. Best yet, it was Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, a match that Victoire had been anticipating for some time now.

"Boo!" some other people yelled through the screams of agreement. "Gryffindor!"

"Wait until you're outside!" commanded Professor Ivanson as he noticed several people pushing and shoving. "And horseplay will result in a loss of points for your house!"

"Ah, Quidditch matches," Louis said once they'd finally made it outside into the open air. "They always brings out the best in people."

"If by best you mean worst," Whit said, adjusting her Gryffindor scarf around her neck so that it hanging down the length of her front. "All the houses get along until the day of a match, then the next thing you know people are fighting and shoving and beating each other up."

"Whit's not a big fan," Victoire said to her brother. "In fact, this is your...what? fourth match?"

"This year?" he asked.

"Ever," Whit corrected as they followed the masses towards the pitch.

"Ever?" he asked, his eyes practically jumping out of his head. "What else is there to do during them?"

"Study," she said, "nap, enjoy an empty common room. You name it."

"I can't believe that," he said, shaking his head. "So wait, why come to this one?"

"Why do you think?" Victoire asked with a knowing smile as the image of Jack Ians popped into her thoughts. Given that Whit suddenly sighed and blushed, it was clear that Victoire wasn't the only one now thinking about Jack.

Louis looked as if he had to think about that for a moment before a long, "Ohhhhhhhhhhh…" escaped him. He suddenly started laughing.

"It's a bit more interesting when she's got someone to watch," Victoire teased, watching as Whit's cheeks turned redder and redder. She made a point to look in the opposite direction.

"Aww," Louis said, now joining in with his sister's teasing. "Jack will be so happy to hear you came just for him!"

"You two are definitely related," Whit said dryly.

"It's fun because you get so bent out of shape." She grabbed Whit by the arm and playfully shook her. "We're just teasing."

"Yeah, it's all in good fun," Louis added.

She shook her head. "I'm glad you all take pleasure in my embarrassment."

"What's to be embarrassed about?" Louis asked. "You fancy Jack, he fancies you. Enjoy it."

"Wait, did he say he fancies her?" Victoire asked.

"That's not my place to say," Louis said before he suddenly looked ahead and noticed some of his friends. He waved before taking several steps forward. "But do you really think he doesn't?"

"I don't know," Whit said lamely.

"He asked you if you were coming today, didn't he?" Louis asked as he started to jog a few more steps ahead before he turned and started walking backwards.

She nodded.

"Wait, he did?" Victoire asked. "Why am I just hearing this?"

"Well," Louis continued, ignoring his sister and addressing Whit, "he's never done that before." He paused thoughtfully. "Then again, he's never had to ask because everyone else always comes to the matches anyway."

"I get it," Whit said. "I'm the freak who doesn't like Quidditch."

"True," he said before he started to walk off to catch up with his friends. "But think of it this way, he still wanted to make sure you were coming." He smiled. "I'm not saying anything, but I'm just saying..."

With that, he ran off to catch his friends.

"What on earth does that mean?" Whit asked.

"I think he likes to pretend he's elusive," Victoire said as she shook her head. "When in all reality he just comes off as daft." She swatted Whit. "And you didn't tell me Jack asked you to come."

"I didn't think it was significant," she said. "Should I have?"

Victoire gawked at her. "Of course it is! He wanted to know if you were going to be here to watch him."

She shrugged. "I suppose I just don't pick up on these sorts of things."

"You must think I'm mental, then," she said. "I come to you trying to examine every move Stuart makes."

"I just figured you got excited about it," she said as they entered the Quidditch stadium and proceeded to make their way up into the stands. "That you enjoyed talking about him."

"I do," she said, "but it's more because I want your opinion so that I don't go mental and over think things."

"Do you think I'm mental because I don't do that?" Whit asked. "Because I never even think about asking."

"You don't need to if you really don't think it matters," Victoire said, making her way through the crowds to get to a seat. "But at the same time, the fact that you're blatantly ignoring clear signals from him shows that you may need more guidance than you think."

"So, you overthink things and I under think them?"

"Sounds like it," she said before she took a seat near the top.

"Our powers combined could equal one rationally minded person, then." Whit joked once she sat down next to her.

"There's no such thing as rational when it comes to this sort of thing," Victoire said, just as people started cheering louder and louder all around her.

"You'll have to explain a few things to me," Whit said as they both joined the crowd and stood as the players took the field.

"We're the scarlet and gold team," Victoire joked.

Whit made a face. "I'm not that bad."

"You know the basic gist of Quidditch though, right?" she asked. "The Chasers have to get the Quaffle through…"

"Is the Quaffle the ball?"

"The big one," Victoire said, now pointing to the referee who was currently holding it and marching to the center of the field. "They need to get that ball through those hoops for ten points."

"Okay," she said. "And the Beaters, they knock around that other mad little ball and try to stop the other players from doing their job. It's the Bludger, right?"

Victoire smiled. "See, you know more than you think."

She smiled meekly. "When Jack told me he was a Beater, I made the mistake of asking him what that meant. I think he thought I was mental for not knowing, but he explained it anyway. It's an awfully violent position."

"A violent position that Jack's really good at," Victoire said, right as the Quaffle was suddenly released and the players scattered after it.

"So, Stuart is a Chaser, right?" Whit asked as she scanned the sky towards the Ravenclaw end of the field.

"He sure is," Victoire said with a dreamy smile. She cast a glance near the Ravenclaw goal posts, where Stuart was flying by, watching the Quaffle. She could barely see him, but she knew he probably looked adorable. "Stuart's good, but we're better. Their Chasers probably won't be able to score much. Not against Durrin."

"And then what position does Dominique play?" Whit asked as she craned her neck up high into the sky to she her circling the pitch.

"Seeker," she said. "She catches the Snitch and the game's over."

"So, why doesn't she just catch the Snitch now?"

"Because it hasn't appeared yet."

"I'm not even going to ask," Whit muttered before she was interrupted by the Gryffindor fans' wild cheers. They had just scored on Stuart.

"And that's ten points for Gryffindor!" shouted the announcer as Victoire watched Jack hit a Bludger square into Henry Davies side. He doubled over his broom.

"A hard hit on Davies courtesy of Ians," the announcer said. "He looks like he's in pain, but still holding on!"

"That's a good thing, right?" Whit asked.

"Not for Henry Davies," Victoire said as she watched Ravenclaw turn over the Quaffle to Gryffindor and send it speeding back down to make the score. The Gryffindor side started cheering wildly again, all while jumping up and down in the stands ferociously.

"How long do these things usually go for?" Whit asked.

"It could be five minutes, it could be five hours."

"Five hours?" Whit said, her face almost horrified.

"It could go five days, even," Victoire said. "But they never let it get that long here at school."

Whit didn't seem the slightest bit excited at the prospect of a five hour game, but lucky for her the Snitch was caught a half hour later by the Ravenclaw Seeker to make the final score Ravenclaw 170- Gryffindor 220.

"But why did he catch it if he knew they were going to lose?" Whit yelled over the loud cheers that echoed all the way back towards the castle.

"Because he didn't want us to get it," Victoire yelled back. "Or perhaps he just wanted to end the game and put them out of their misery. They only scored two goals!"

"The Ravenclaw team didn't look happy," she said as they jogged up the hill back to the castle.

"Yeah, I don't think now is the right time to tell Stuart if it was a nice effort," Victoire said with a glance over her shoulder. "We might as well enjoy our win."

By the time Victoire and Whit had returned to the common room, it was already loud and alive with celebration. People were cheering and chanting and laughing as someone started shooting red sparks out of the tip of their wand. Soon enough, an entire crowd of people were doing the same thing and running madly around the common room, creating a blur of color and noise.

"We won!" James Potter called to Victoire as she walked past him and tousled his hair affectionately. He and his friends were positively giddy and were taking turns jumping off the sofa trying to see who could get the most height.

"Hey!" said Louis, who had come over to where Victoire and Whit had just found seats. "Great match, huh?"

"Sure," Whit said with a shrug. "I guess so."

"Did you see Jack?" Louis asked, nudging her several times in the arm. "He was bloody brilliant. That hit on Davies…! That stupid git deserved it."

"That was my favorite part," Louis's friend, Flynn, said as he and two girls appeared next to him, all of their faces painted in scarlet and gold. "Jack is sick!"

"Is he?" Whit asked with a confused smile directed at Victoire. She simply shrugged and smiled back.

"Rotten luck that Dominique couldn't catch the snitch though," said a girl named Eleanor.

"I'll be giving her hell for that," Louis said, shaking his head. "It was right in front of her face!"

"Go easy on her," Victoire said. "You know how hard she is on herself after matches. Quidditch is life to her."

"Hey, let's sneak down to the kitchens," Flynn said as he hit Louis. "We'll get some food for everyone."

"Do it!" one of the girls said as she eyed Louis excitedly.

"Fine, fine," he said to the girls. "You'll need to come, too, because we'll need more hands if we want to get a lot…" He and his friends suddenly turned away as he finished making their plans.

"After a match is always fun," Victoire said, observing everyone around the room.

"Oh yeah," Whit said sarcastically. "It's wonderful seeing everyone go bloody insane."

"It's good fun, though," she said before she noticed Colleen and Penelope huddled together across the room and whispering with Natalie Young of all people. Victoire couldn't help but watch as Natalie's face practically screamed excited energy for being included in by Colleen and Penelope.

"Odd."

"What is?" Whit asked.

Victoire pointed, and Whit followed her finger. At that exact moment, all three girls giggled loudly as Colleen and Penelope suddenly stood. Natalie followed a moment later, and soon all three of them were walking towards the portrait hole.

Whit turned back and gave Victoire a peculiar look. "They're suddenly friends?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"They did have to fill that vacant spot you created," she joked. "I heard that if Colleen doesn't have two people standing on either side of her for support, she collapses under the weight of her enormous head."

Victoire slowly smiled, but didn't laugh. Her mind was too busy wondering why Colleen and Penelope would want anything to do with Natalie. She remembered Natalie expressing an interest in wanting to be their friend, but that was when she was younger and didn't know any better. Not now, though.

"It's probably something to do with makeup and hair," Whit added. "Plus, maybe it's a sign that she really is moving on by finding new people to bother and leaving you alone."

"Yeah…" Victoire said, still feeling slightly unsettled. "Maybe."

"Plus, if Natalie wants to be their friend, let her. If she's dumb enough to get herself into that mess after you warned her-"

"It's not that easy sometimes," she said. "It's one of those situations where unless you were there and really know, it's always a novelty."

"I wasn't there and I know."

Victoire grinned. "We don't all have the common sense you do. Some of us do make mistakes."


	11. Fights in the Common Room

As February fell upon Hogwarts, the students' restlessness was becoming apparent. It almost seemed as if the professors suspected this and acted accordingly by announcing a Hogsmeade trip. Victoire always suspected that the increased number in detentions correlated with McGonagall's decision to pick a Hogsmeade date. The fidgety nature of students tended to affect the teachers as much as it did each other. Students tended to be more disruptive the longer they were contained within the school, and there were only so many ways to alleviate that.

"This Saturday," Whit said as she read the notice off of the bulletin board in the common room. "The 12th."

"Excellent," someone said from behind her as more and more people crowded along the board to see the news for themselves. "I could go for some Honeydukes."

There was a murmur of agreement as Victoire and Whit made their way out of the portrait and began talking about what they were looking forward to on the way to their afternoon lessons.

"So, you're definitely going with Stuart, then?" Whit asked.

Victoire made a face. "I have no idea. We've talked maybe three times since he brought it up and he hasn't mentioned it since."

"But he told Colleen Lynch you were going together."

"Nice of him to tell her and not me," Victoire said before they took a shortcut down to the bottom floor to get to their Herbology lesson.

"And it's right before Valentine's Day," Whit added as they entered the entrance hall and walked towards the front doors.

"It is, isn't it?" she asked. "Well, we'll see what he has to say, won't we?"

Victoire surprisingly didn't have to wait long for an answer to that question. Just as she was exiting Herbology later that day, she and Whit ran smack into Stuart on his way inside for his own Herbology lesson. Of course she would run into him when she had absolutely no time to talk.

"Hey," Stuart said with a smile. "Can we talk?"

"I've got to get up to Runes right now," she said, knowing that she barely had enough time to get there given the allotted amount of time. "After that, though? At dinner?"

"Yeah, okay. See you then." He waved as he turned and entered the greenhouse. Victoire headed in the opposite direction as she set back towards the castle and caught up with Whit.

"Looks like you'll have your answer soon enough," Whit said. "You probably could have had it right there."

"Well, according to my mum," she began, "it's always good to make them wait a bit. You never want to seem too available."

"My mum doesn't give me advice like that," Whit said. "She just tells me to make sure my ears are clean and to study hard. Perhaps if she did, I wouldn't be as clueless with boys as you seem to think I am."

"For the record," Victoire said as she held the front door open, "I never said that."

"You don't have to say it," Whit joked, stopping just before the entrance. "But, I'll see you after class, alright? We can go to the library before dinner and finish that Defense Against the Dark Arts essay."

"Ugg. Do we have to?"

With a smile and a quick wave, Whit took off in an opposite direction, leaving Victoire to make her way upstairs to her Runes class. As it were, she found herself practically jogging down the final corridor because she knew how much Professor Tate hated tardiness; just as she turned the last corner, she stumbled across Natalie and Aspeth standing off to the side, absently chatting. Natalie looked upset about something, but the second she noticed Victoire, she forced a weak smile.

"Hi Vicki," Aspeth said pleasantly. Natalie waved slowly, but said nothing.

"Hi," Victoire said in passing, not bothering to stop.

"In a hurry?" Aspeth called after her.

She threw them both a forced grin before opening the door and entering her the front of the room, Professor Tate stood facing the classroom, though she took the moment to glance at Victoire before turning her gaze to the wall clock. Victoire looked as well. She was thirty seconds late.

"Take your seat, Miss Weasley," Tate said as Victoire hastily did as she was told. "Everyone else please pass up your translations from last lesson and then get out your guides. We're starting a new chapter today."

Victoire sat quickly; she was quite surprised she hadn't been given a lecture in front of the entire class for once. It seemed that Professor Tate was particularly adamant about getting the lesson started today, so perhaps she was simple spared the scolding for the sake of time. Given that Tate went straight into lecturing the hour away, and Victoire straight into concentrating on what the various complicated symbols and signs meant according to her runes translation guide, this seems as much an explanation as any.

"Your homework is the same as last lesson," Tate said after an hour, once she'd shut her own book and gestured for everyone to pack up for the day. "Once you get that down, you're excused."

Victoire smiled, happy to finally be done for the day and for having escaped a lecture due to her tardiness. As much as she enjoyed Runes, she couldn't help but feel as if her brain melted after each lesson.

"Miss Weasley, may I see you?" asked Tate suddenly.

Victoire looked up to the front of the room where her professor was currently staring back at her. She slowly nodded, now realizing that while she was still done with Runes for the day, the escaping a lecture part was probably too good to have been true.

As the last of the remaining students shuffled their way out into the corridor, their voices and laughter growing suddenly much louder the second they were out of the classroom and free to be, Victoire found herself dawdling to where Tate was currently sorting through a stack of parchment at her desk. It wasn't until the door snapped shut behind the final student exiting that Tate spoke.

"Where are you coming from before this lesson?"

"Herbology," Victoire said. "The back greenhouse."

"I see. And do you come straight here?"

She nodded.

"Well," she said, "if that's true, then I can hardly hold your brushes with tardiness against you, now can I? However, I was led to believe that it was possible to get everywhere in the castle within the allotted amount of time between classes."

Victoire pursed her lips ever so slightly. "To be honest, I think the person who determined that may have had very long legs and walked very fast."

Tate actually smiled a little, which Victoire found odd for some reason. Granted, for as strict as she was she did have moments of compassion-she just didn't smile often. "Just please make sure you make the effort to get here before class begins. If for some reason you do find distractions between here and Herbology, I suggest you ignore them."

"Yes, professor," Victoire said with a nod.

Tate looked away and said nothing more, but gave her a signal that Victoire took to mean she was excused. Victoire didn't hesitate; as she left, she thought about whether or not Tate believed that she was lying or not. Perhaps if she hadn't dawdled to tell Stuart she had no time to talk she would have made up those thirty seconds, but still...

She found herself caring less and less about the matter once she arrived at the library to look for Whit, though an immediate scan of the room showed that Whit was nowhere to be found. Victoire walked the entire length of the room in search of her-including the back corners-even though she knew that Whit preferred the tables that were near the entrance. If she was here, she'd be sitting near the front.

After a few minutes of searching even the most obscured nooks and corners of the bookshelves, Victoire shrugged and gave up, deciding that she may as well go back to the common room if Whit had decided to blow off their essay-writing date. It wasn't as if she really wanted to do that essay yet anyway; she'd do it when she was in the mood. When she'd be in the mood...well, that she didn't know, but she was sure she'd find the motivation soon enough. At least that's what she kept telling herself as she climbed the stairs to Gryffindor Tower and entered through the portrait hole. She had just begun to do the math as to how many days she had until her essay was due when she was abruptly accosted by her sister on her way out.

"You'll never believe what happened," Dominique said, grabbing Victoire's arm.

"What?"

"Lou and Natalie just had this huge row in the common room. In front of everyone."

Victoire stared at Dominique. "They did? What about?"

"I don't know," she said, looking over her shoulder to where Whit was talking to Sarah and Eleanor. "We just walked in during the middle of it. I asked Whit what she knew, but she said she'd only arrived a few seconds before we had."

Victoire's eyebrow rose curiously as Whit approached the pair where they stood. "Did you hear anything they were saying?"

"I tried to ask Jack," Whit said, answering for Dominique, "but he said he wasn't even sure what it was about. He said Natalie came over and sat with Louis and him, then he went upstairs to grab something and when he came back, they were at it." She paused and looked over her shoulder. "By the looks of things, I think it's safe to say the split up."

"Really?" Victoire asked, her mouth falling open. "Did it look like Louis chucked her or the other way around?"

"I couldn't tell," Whit said, glancing at Dominique, who had shrugged. "I only caught about two minutes of the end of it and they were both upset and heated. Jack said they'd been at it for at least five minutes before that. It ended when Louis just got up and left. Jack followed him and Natalie just sat over there," she pointed to a chair across the room, "crying."

"You're kidding," Victoire said, her voice now distant. "I wonder what happened?"

"You won't be able to find out until after our Potions lesson," Dominique said, checking her watch. "Speaking of which, I need to go or I'll be late." She shook her head. "And I suppose I get to be stuck in that class with them fuming before I get to listen to Natalie cry all night in the room." Her face hardened. "You know, I never liked her. You know why?"

"You'll have to let me know what happens," Victoire said, ignoring her sister's attempt to take the piss on Natalie. "Poor Lou, I thought he liked her."

"Maybe she chucked him?" Whit suggested. "He looked angry. Angrier than I would have thought he would have been had he been one who had called it off."

"He really did look angry," Dominique agreed, taking a few steps towards the portrait hole right as Sarah tugged on her robe to beckon her to follow her to class. "And you know it takes a lot to get Louis angry."

"I thought she really liked him," Victoire mused more to herself than anyone else. She turned to Whit. "But, I'm sure he won't have a problem finding some other girl to help him feel better. I am a little curious to know what happened, though."

Whit nodded, and once again began to reiterate the little details she had witnessed when she had walked in, as the both of them began walking up to their dormitory. "And I just got so caught up in it all of that that I forgot to meet you downstairs," Whit concluded, plopping down on her bed as she said it. "The entire common room was buzzing."

"So, that's your excuse," Victoire teased, popping open her trunk to put away some of her books as she spoke. To make room, she pulled out an extra pair of robes and several pieces of parchment that she had banded together in a small bundle and placed them on the floor. "It's okay, I wasn't really looking forward to writing it anyway-"

"What is that?" Whit interrupted, gesturing to the bundle.

Victoire glanced down at what Whit was referring to. "Oh, just letters from Ted."

"You save them?"

"I save everything." She pulled out another larger bundle. "These are from my parents. They date back all the way to first year. I read them when I get homesick." She reached in and pulled out another bundle to show her. "And these are just random letters and notes I get from people." She dropped those and the letter from her parents back into her trunk before reaching out to undo the ones from Ted. "Which reminds me that I have to write him back. Usually I'm the one teasing him for taking forever, but it's been over a week since I got this last one." She shrugged. "I should do it now..."

"So, I take it you don't want to do that Defense Against the Dark Arts essay?"

She smiled innocently. She didn't even have to say it, Whit was already reading her mind.

"Uh-huh," Whit said, realizing that no essays were getting written anytime soon. She instead reached out to pick up a nearby book before stretching herself out on her own bed to read-but not before allowing a defeated sigh to escape her.

"It'll get done," Victoire said as she readied her quill and parchment to set to work writing Ted back. "Don't act as if it won't..."

"Uh-huh," Whit repeated.

Victoire smiled, taking her quill in hand and looking down at the blank parchment in front of her. After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she began to write:

_Ted-_

_I'm sure I'm going to hear it the next time I hear from you, but yes, it has taken me almost a week and a half to respond to your last letter. I'm a horrible person, I know._

_Apparently Louis is having girl trouble at the moment. I haven't heard the details since I was in class, but from what I have heard, he and his current (ex) girlfriend had a very loud row in the middle of the common room. It seems strange since Lou usually keeps that sort of stuff quiet, but perhaps he didn't have much of a say in the matter. I have a suspicion that she chucked him. I don't know. I feel terrible now though, but he's bound to be better off. I was never particularly fond of her, but she was nice enough. Then again, this is a girl who's recently started trying to vie for spot in Lynch's inner circle…And I've warned her! So I'm sure that says something about her._

_Speaking of Colleen, she decided to call a sort of truce between us. I don't know how sincere she is, but she said she's tired of the fighting. I agreed to it because I don't think I'm any worse than I was before, but I still don't trust her. She's been nothing but polite to me since then though…But, we both fancy the same boy and she's already told me she's not going to give up on him, so no matter how sweet she is now, it's bound to come to a head eventually._

_I hope your grandmother is feeling better. I told my mum about her and she said she was going to send some things over to her. I hope she did, or else I just painted my mum to be lazy. Oh! Easter holidays start in early April, so plan accordingly since I will be home! I'd like to see your new, well, I guess now old place! I suppose I'd like to see you too. Maybe…_

_With love xoxo,_

_Victoire Isabelle Weasley_

She read it over once before picking up the letter to blow on the ink. Once she'd believed it was dry, she folded it up and placed it in her bag so that she'd have it ready the next time she stopped by the owlery. After she'd finished, she glanced at Whit, who was now hanging her head off the edge of the bed and reading upside down.

"That cannot be comfortable."

"Don't knock it until you try it," she said from behind her book.

When the dinner hour did finally fall upon them after and afternoon of killing time, Victoire and Whit were the first ones out of the common room to the Great Hall. Victoire was hoping that she could find her brother to find out what had happened-to make sure he was okay-but she hadn't seen him or Jack since earlier that day. She had seen Natalie, however; she had been marching straight up the stairs after afternoon classes, though she hadn't looked upset or mad. She looked solemn and puffy eyed.

"I don't know where'd they'd be," Victoire said once she and Whit entered the Great Hall.

"Probably somewhere calming down," Whit said, scanning the length of the Gryffindor table. "I'm sure the last place he wanted to be was in the common room if he knew Natalie was going to be there. It did just happen."

"You're probably right," Victoire said, setting off to sit at Gryffindor's table. "I just hope he's not doing something stupid."

"What would he do?"

"I don't know," she said. "Louis can be pretty emotional sometimes when he's upset because he rarely lets himself get that way. It's almost if all this pent up stress comes out."

Whit but her lip as she sat down across from Victoire and observed the movement of the Great Hall as it started filling up with people. By the time it was half full, there was still no sign of Louis, though Dominique and several of her friends appeared. She seemed to read Victoire's thoughts and immediately claimed she had no new information as she sat, but did say that when she had tried to ask him, he had brushed her off and then left straight after class with Jack in tow. She hadn't seen him since.

"I hope he's okay," Victoire said as she suddenly became worried for her brother's mindset. She continued scanning the entrance for him, becoming so fixated on keeping a look out that when Stuart Reynolds happened to appear in front of her, she stared straight through him.

Dominique elbowed her in the ribs.

"Hey," Stuart said, watching Victoire strangely. "Are you all right?"

"Stuart," she said, straightening up. "Hi. Yeah, sorry, my mind's elsewhere."

He smiled. "One of those days, huh?"

"You could say that."

"So, they announced the Hogsmeade date," he said. "And I just wanted to make sure that you were still interested in going down there with me. I don't know if you've thought about it since-"

Whit snorted a laugh and made an attempt to cover it up by pounding her chest and pretending she was choking. Dominique started giggling at Whit's choking, but made no attempt to hide her laughter.

"Are you choking?" Stuart asked her, his face slightly concerned.

"I'm fine," Whit croaked with another fake cough as she picked up a goblet and started drinking from it. "It just went down the wrong pipe."

Victoire threw her a doubtful stare before turning back to Stuart. She smiled. "Sorry, you were saying?"

"I was wondering if you still wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me."

"I'd love to," she said with a bright smile. "That would be fun."

"Great," he said, just as his blue eyes caught the light and Victoire swore she saw them twinkle. She knew she probably imagined it, but she liked her version more than the more realistic version. "We can meet right outside."

"Sounds great," she said, still smiling. It was then that Dominique nudged her again and nodded towards the entrance, where Louis and Jack were walking in. "Right outside the entrance," she repeated in acknowledgment, nodding quickly. "I'll be there."

"Cool," he said. "See you later?"

"See you," she said absently, right as Louis started to pass by her on his way to the other end of the table. The second Stuart turned around, she reached out and grabbed at her brother's arm. Dominique had already done the same.

"What?" Louis snapped.

"Don't 'what' us," Dominique snapped back.

"Sit," Victoire demanded.

He rolled his eyes, but sat regardless. He was clearly not in a good mood. "I take it you heard?"

"I did," Victoire said, "and I want to know what happened."

"Hell if I know," he said as Jack went and sat down next to Whit on the other side of the table. The two exchanged looks as Victoire noted that Jack's face seemed to confirm her assumptions about Louis's piss poor mood.

"Well, tell me what happened," Victoire said.

"Why'd you run out of Potions so fast?" Dominique asked at the same time.

He sighed and looked at the food in front of him. "You know, I'm not even hungry."

"So don't eat," said Dominique, just as Flynn Taggart walked by and slapped Louis on the back.

"Rough luck, mate," he said.

"Yeah, thanks," Louis mumbled.

"What happened, Lou?" Victoire asked.

"You want to know?" he asked. "Fine. Out of nowhere…out of the fucking blue, she comes and sits down and tells me that she doesn't think things are working out. So, I asked her what she meant by that, and she says that I don't understand her and that I'm always putting her down."

"What? Since when?" Dominique asked, glancing at Jack. He nodded as he stabbed a piece of chicken with his fork.

"So, I told her that she was acting strange," he continued. "I guess that set her off because then she started getting loud and saying that that was exactly what she meant. She kept going on and on, and then I looked around and noticed people were watching. People were sitting there thinking I'm some sort of royal prat because she's yelling at me. So I started getting loud and I told her that if this is what she wanted, fine. We were done. Whatever."

"And that was it?"

"Nope," he said. "Get this. She starts crying and saying that our relationship obviously meant nothing to me because I wasn't even trying to fight for it."

"Wait," Dominique began, "she said this as she was breaking up with you?" She laughed. "What a twit."

"Yeah, exactly," he agreed. "Exactly! She's trying to chuck me, yet I'm the bad guy because I don't want to fight to save it. I told her she was mental and that I'm glad we figured all of this out now because now I'm better off. Then I got up and left."

"How odd," Victoire said. "And you didn't suspect this at all?"

"Out of the fucking blue!" he said, loud enough for several people to turn and look at him. "I mean, she's seemed preoccupied the last few days, but nothing had changed between us."

"I'm sorry, Lou," Victoire said. She laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"And to think I actually liked her," he said. "I mean, sure she's dim, but she was fun. She was sweet."

"You're right on the dim part," Dominique mumbled.

"You'll bounce back," Victoire said. "There are probably loads of girls ready to queue up and take her place."

"I'm taking a break from having a girlfriend," Louis said as he shook his head. "I'm just going to screw around."

"You're not," Dominique said, making a face.

"Don't be gross," Victoire said, giving him a dirty look.

"If I can, I sure as hell am," he mumbled before he suddenly put his head down on the table. Victoire exchanged looks with everyone around here, but said nothing more on the subject. Instead, she started talking about how Professor Tate had scolded her for being tardy.

"She's got to know it takes ages to get from the back greenhouse to her room," Whit said.

"I don't think she does," Jack added. "Or she doesn't care. She never cared last year when I had a similar situation. She just told me to fix it."

"That's pretty much what she told me," Victoire said as Louis suddenly picked his head up. The others looked at him.

"I'm going back," he said as he stood up. "I'm tired."

"Do you want to talk?" Dominique asked him.

"No," he said, throwing his twin sister a small smile. "Thanks, though. Bye all."

"Bye," Victoire said as she watched him grab a dinner roll and walk off. She turned back to Jack. "Has he been like that all day?"

"No," he said with a shrug. "Earlier he was swearing a lot more. I really just think he's angry because it took him by surprise. I mean, last night she was all giggly and sweet with him and then today," he shook his head, "this. He'll be okay though, he bounces back pretty fast, you know? He was actually laughing about parts of it earlier."

"I just hate to see him like this," Victoire said.

"Louis is supposed to be the cheery one," Dominique added. "Vic and I are the emotional ones. Particularly Vic."

"Well, I want him to bounce back, too," Jack said, glancing down the length of the table. "I don't see Natalie anywhere."

"I saw her in our room after Potions," Dominique said. "She looked exhausted and when she saw me she just shut the curtains around her bed."

"Probably from all the crying," he said. He shook his head and threw his napkin onto his plate. "I'm going back, though. See if Louis wants someone to listen to him curse and bitch some more."

Victoire smiled. "Let me know if he's really beat up over this, would you?"

"I know he'll be fine." He glanced at Whit and nudged her with his arm to get her attention. "What are you doing for Hogsmeade?"

Whit looked nervously at Victoire, who suddenly forced herself to become extremely interested in the vegetable medley on her plate. There sure were a lot of carrots in it today…

"Um, I'm not sure," she said faster than usual. "I was just going to pop down there for a bit to get something from Honeydukes, but then I was going to come back here because I'm not a fan of the crowds and the cold-"

Victoire kicked her from under the table. She heard Dominique give a small laugh from next to her, but shot her a look to tell her to be quiet.

"Um, I mean nothing." She blushed. "No plans. Why?"

"I wanted to see if you wanted to go together," he said with a hopeful smile. Victoire had given up on watching her vegetables and was now curious if Jack noticed Whit's nerves as much as she did. "I mean," he added, "we might end up hanging out with Louis, too, because of everything that's happened today, but if that's okay with you-"

"Louis has got other friends," Dominique said. She had also officially given up on any attempt to pretend that she wasn't listening. "He'll find a way to preoccupy himself."

"True," he said as they all watched Whit. She sat there chewing nervously on her bottom lip.

"If you don't want to…" Jack added, which in turn made Victoire kick Whit under the table once more.

"Yes," she stammered.

"Yes, you don't want to or yes you do?"

"I do," she said without daring to look at him. Victoire and Dominique exchange weary smiles.

"Oh," he said with an awkward, but happy smile before he slowly stood. "Um, cool. I guess I'll see you all later, then."

"Bye," Dominique and Victoire said, though Whit just sat there looking slightly thunderstruck.

"Was that as awkward as I thought it was?" she finally asked as she started to turn a little pink.

"Yes," Victoire and Dominique said in unison.

It was now Whit's turn to put her head down on the table.


	12. Trouble in Hogsmeade

After what seemed to be the longest week in the history of school, the Friday before the Hogsmeade trip finally seemed to be the last stop in between what Victoire had started calling, "pre and post Stuart Victoire."

"I'm more concerned that you're referring to yourself in the third person," Whit joked as the pair sat in the library that afternoon trying to finish up as much work as possible before tomorrow. It seemed they weren't the only ones who thought that was a good idea seeing that the library was almost completely filled with people.

Victoire laughed. She was in such a good mood that she found even the silliest things funny and charming. She had even managed to muster a genuine smile towards Colleen and Penelope when they had entered the library and greeted her. She wished she could have done the same to Natalie, who without Louis as a distraction had become even more attached to those girls' sides. She had decided that rather than give her a dirty look, she would merely ignore her instead.

Best yet, Whit seemed to be in fantastic spirits as well, which only increased Victoire's mood. She and Jack had made solid plans for tomorrow –ones that mirrored the plans that Victoire had made with Stuart - and she had managed to have the entire conversation with him without blushing or stammering. In fact, over the last few days, Victoire had even sworn she caught Whit playfully flirting with him; just like she was at the current moment.

"Would you use Rennervate for question four?" Victoire asked as she stared at her Charms work. "For some reason I think it's a trick question and that's the wrong spell."

"Sorry?" Whit asked as she finished scribbling something down on a piece of parchment and then proceeded to start folding it up. "What question?"

Victoire glanced to her left where two tables over, Louis, Jack, Flynn, Dominique, and Sarah were all sitting and working. Jack and Whit had been sending a note back in forth to each other now for the last hour.

"Four," she said as Whit glanced in her book and managed to levitate the note and shoot it across the room with her wand at the same time. It zoomed past several people's heads, causing them to look up to take notice. It actually came within inches of nailing Colleen in the side of the head. She threw both Whit and Jack an annoyed look.

"Yeah, it's Rennervate," she agreed as she put her wand down on the table and picked up her quill to write the answer down herself. "Question five."

"We already did question five," Victoire smirked as a piece of parchment suddenly landed on top of her book. She glanced at Jack, who mouthed, "sorry" for his poor aim. She picked it up and handed it to Whit. "This is yours."

"Sorry," she offered as she took it. "How many more questions do we have left?"

"The last three."

"OK, I won't even read this until we're done," she said with a determined nod. "Question eight. What charm will help create heat without causing a fire or burning…?"

The questions took far longer than either of them anticipated. It took forty-five minutes to complete what they thought would take fifteen and by the time they were done, Whit was yawning and mumbling something about being exhausted.

"We've been here for four hours," Victoire said wearily. "Let's go."

"Sounds good to me," she said as Jack walked by and poked her in the back. When she looked up, he seemed to be wondering if she had even read what he had written last. "Sorry, I had to finish," she whispered as she picked up the note.

"Yeah, I figured that when I didn't get a response," he joked.

"Where are you going?" she whispered.

"Toilet," he whispered back as he noticed Madam Pince eyeing them skeptically. To her, if you weren't sitting at a table working, you had no reason to be there. As she often said, the library was not a social place.

"I'm going back to the common room, I think," she said. "I'm really tired."

He frowned. Victoire couldn't help but think that it was a very sweet reaction.

"All right then," he whispered as he smiled again and took several steps towards the exit. He waved a little before he almost ran smack into Madam Pince, who didn't look very pleased with the close call. Whit and Victoire tried to hide their laughter.

"Let's go," Victoire said as she stood and pulled her bag over her shoulder. She glanced around the room and immediately let her bag lag when she saw that Penelope Shears was now sitting in Jack's vacant seat and whispering to Louis. She noticed Dominique seemed as annoyed as she was at Penelope's sudden presence and thus made an obvious gesture to throw her quill down, stretch, and walk away from the table.

"You go ahead," she added as she dropped her bag and watched her sister disappear into the shelves of books. "I've got to talk to Louis."

Whit watched as she made her way towards the strange pair. As she drew closer, she noticed Penelope was smiling at him in a way that made her stomach turn.

"Hey," Victoire said to her brother as she knelt down and tried to avoid Madam Pince's roaming eye. She glanced at Penelope. "Penelope."

"Hi," Penelope said pleasantly as she stretched her arms over Jack's work and towards Louis. In making the motion, she accidentally knocked some of Jack's papers off of the table. She blushed and quickly reached over and picked them up.

"What's up?" he asked as he put his quill in his mouth and started turning pages in the book.

"Um," she said as she realized she really had nothing to say. "I'm sending mum and dad some post and I wanted to tell you that if you wanted to send something that you should let me know."

"OK…?" he murmured as he stared at her. Even she had to admit that it was a pretty dumb reason for her to have come all the way over here to talk to him.

"Just letting you know," she said giving Penelope another sweeping look as she stood back up. "Are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow, Louis?"

"I haven't decided yet," he said as he turned back to his work. "I don't have a real reason to."

"Oh you should!" Penelope said in a way that made both Flynn and Sarah look up from what they were doing. "I mean I know you feel like there's nothing to do, but trust me there's loads."

"Maybe," he said with a small laugh as he grinned at Penelope. Victoire stared at him as if he had three heads. Did he really just grin at her like that?

"Shhh!" hissed Madam Pince at the crowd of them. "If you're not working, I'm going to have to ask you to leave so as to not disturb other students."

"Sorry," Victoire said as Penelope stood.

"Just think about coming," Penelope said to Louis as she smiled and walked back to where she had been sitting with her friends. Victoire attempted to give her brother a horrified look, but he'd already gone back to whatever he was working on and wasn't paying attention. She shook her head and walked off. She hadn't liked the looks of that conversation one bit.

"She's a notorious flirt," Whit said the next day as she pulled a sweater over her head while they got ready for Hogsmeade. "She flirts with everything that breathes."

"You had to see the way she was looking at him," Victoire said as she sat on the edge of the bed and thumbed her wand absently. "And the way he smiled at her." She made a repulsed face.

"I'd hope your brother had more sense than that."

"Maybe not to date her, perhaps," she said. "But you heard him, he's looking to just screw around and let's face it. Who's a better candidate than her?"

Whit frowned. "He's got to have more sense than that."

"He might be up here," she said as she pointed to her head. "But down there-" She shook her head. "He is a boy after all."

"It's a little weird that she's all friendly with Natalie now, yet she's going after her ex just days after they split up."

"Oh there's no period of waiting for them," she said, shaking her head. "Unless it's one of Colleen's exes and then he's completely off limits."

"I'm sure it'll work itself out," Whit said as she glanced at herself in the mirror.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she said as she shook her hair out and started brushing through it. Seconds later, as if she had cast a spell on it, it was all neatly in place.

"How do you do that?" Whit asked, watching her through the mirror.

"Do what?"

"With your hair?"

She shrugged. "It just sort of happens."

Whit examined her own hair in the mirror as it lay dully on her shoulders. She picked up the ends and started examining them.

"I work at mine," she said as she took her brush and handed it to Whit. "Here, I've got some of this hair potion that will make your hair shiny." She went to her trunk and pulled a large bottle out. She handed it to Whit, who proceeded to eye it carefully.

"Not too shiny though, right?"

"Depends on how much you use," she said as she helped her run a little through her hair. She took her brush and pulled her wand out and smiled at her through the mirror. "Let's have a look at what I can do."

Fifteen minutes later, Whit's hair looked similar to what it always looked like, just healthier and more lifelike. Victoire flicked her wands through it once more and stood back to admire her work.

"See? Nothing too much."

She smiled. "It looks good."

"I always tell you that if you would just let me…" She trailed off and smiled. "You look lovely."

Whit smiled.

"Nervous?"

"Maybe a little," she said as she stood up. "I mean not of Jack, but of what could happen."

"Like a rock falling on him and crushing him?" she joked.

"No," Whit said with a nervous laugh. "Like if he tries to kiss me or something."

"Kiss him back," she said obviously. "That's what you're going for, isn't it?"

"I've just never done it," she said. "It's nerve wracking."

"Sure," Victoire said as she sat back down on her bed. "But it's fantastic once it's said and done. You'll be fine, you know. You just go with the flow of the moment and let it happen." She paused. "You don't even have to wait for him to try. You could be the one to do it."

"I won't," she said looking anxious at the prospect. "No, I don't think I could handle that."

Victoire smiled at her.

"How was yours?" she asked. "Did you make the first move?"

"Me?" She laughed. "No, no, no. That was all Malcolm Abernathy. Remember him?"

She nodded.

"It was outside on the grounds," Victoire said as she thought back. "It was a really windy day and I remember standing there with him and thinking he was going to do it, but I wasn't sure. I remember wondering how it would happen since he was rather tall and I thought it would be really awkward if he had to bend over."

Whit laughed.

"But it wasn't," she continued. "He did it so smoothly that it took me completely by surprise and didn't really have a chance to get nervous. It was lovely."

"That's a sweet first kiss story."

"Well, my first real one," she added. "If you count the first time I technically kissed a boy then that story isn't so romantic."

"How do you mean?"

She laughed. "I kissed Ted once when we were smaller. I had such a crush on him when I was little because he was all of maybe two years older than me, which, when you're two years younger seems so much older and grown up." She smiled. "Anyway, I dared him to do it one day because I wanted to know what it felt like to kiss a boy. He refused and seemed pretty horrified by the idea. So then later, I remember we were playing tag or some game where we were running around and I ended up pinning him down on the ground…" She paused and laughed. "How I did that I don't know because he was a lot bigger than me, but I did and I kissed him for probably a total of one second before I hopped off and ran away."

She laughed.

"He was so mad," Victoire continued. "So, so, so mad at me. He wouldn't speak to me for the rest of the day. I remember feeling bad about it because he was mad and it wasn't even worth it. So until I was about ten, that's all I thought kissing was and I couldn't understand the big deal."

"That's sort of a cute story too," Whit said.

"Cute, perhaps," she said with a smile. "I don't even think Ted remembers it, but I'm sure if I brought it up, he'd still give me crap for it." She checked the clock. "We should go."

"Oh," Whit said sitting up straighter. "OK."

"Don't be nervous," she said. "It's just Jack."

Whit nodded and the two of them proceeded out of the dormitory and into the common room. Several people were piling out of the portrait hole in small groups and excitedly talking about their plans for the day. One sweep of the room showed that Jack was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you meeting him here?" Victoire asked. "Or downstairs?"

"I…" she said as she glanced around. "I guess downstairs."

Victoire tugged on her sleeve and led her downstairs where students were gathering in the entrance hall waiting to be allowed outside. The elderly caretaker, Argus Filch, stood checking each student's name off of a list as they passed one by one out into the cold morning.

"I don't see him anywhere," Whit said looking around the closer the got to the front door.

"He's probably outside if anything," Victoire said. "He wouldn't want to wait around in this mess."

"Yeah," she said as they proceeded past Filch's checkpoint and outside. Several people were mulling around looking for their friends as Victoire suddenly noticed Stuart standing and talking with Devon Whimbley.

"There's Stuart," she said pointing and making her way towards him. "He's standing by those rocks, so you'll probably be able to get a better view from over there." She smiled brightly once he noticed her.

"You look great," he said, returning her smile.

"I'll see you later, man," Devon said to him before smiling at Victoire. "We'll be at the Broomsticks if you feel like stopping by."

"We'll see," Stuart said as he hopped down off the rock and stepped forward towards Victoire. "You ready to go?"

"Oh," she said as she glanced quickly at Whit. "Actually, can we wait until she finds who she's looking for?"

"Yeah sure," he said as he glanced over the crowd. "Who is it? I'll help you look."

"Jack Ians," she said. Stuart jumped back onto the taller rock and started scanning the crowd for Jack's face.

"It's weird he's not here yet," Whit said after several minutes. They continued to watch the crowd's numbers start to dwindle down as less people trickled out of the school.

"Did you tell him you'd meet him in town?" Stuart asked.

Victoire glanced at Whit. She seemed to be racking her brain; trying to remember exactly what they had planned.

"We just sort of made plans to go to that tea shop you told me about," she said to Victoire. "We never really talked about meeting beforehand. I think we both assumed we'd run into each other before that."

"He might be down in town already then," Stuart suggested. Victoire furrowed her brow. For as long as she'd known Jack, he was a polite guy. The type of guy who would at least walk a girl he was taking out into town.

"There's Nic," Victoire said as she noticed Dominique and several of her friends walking towards town. "She may know where he is. Nicki!"

Dominique stopped and looked around for the source of her name. Victoire waved to her. She waved back and stared at her.

"Hold on," Victoire said as she ran over to her. "Hey."

"What's up?"

"You haven't seen Jack this morning have you?" she asked.

She shook her head and glanced at her friends. "I haven't seen him since he left the library early last night."

"Early?" Victoire asked.

"Yeah," she said with a shrug. "One minute he was normal and the next he seemed annoyed and he just packed up his things and left. All he said was that he was going to bed. It wasn't long after you stopped by."

"But nothing since this morning?" she asked.

"He was breakfast," Sarah Kirke said. "With your brother. I sat right next to them about twenty minutes ago and they were dressed like they were leaving the castle."

"Oh," Victoire said as she considered this. Had he really gone on ahead to town?

"He's probably already gone down," Dominique suggested. "You know, to get into the shops before everyone gets there. I'd love to do that, but with this lot-" She pointed to her friends. "Someone always dawdles and we're the last ones out of the castle."

The girls laughed and started pointing the blame on anyone but themselves as Victoire thanked them and made her way back to where Whit and Stuart were still standing. "They said they saw him at breakfast," she said. "He was with Louis and that they were dressed as if they were going out."

"So he went ahead then," Stuart said, hopping off the rock again. "You know he probably had something to do early. You said you knew where you were going to meet him, I'm sure he'll turn up. He'll probably already be there."

"Right," encouraged Victoire with an optimistic smile.

"Right…" Whit said as the three of them started walking towards town. Victoire sensed Whit's apprehension so she tried to make the conversation as light as possible. "Did anyone read in the Prophet about a loon who tried to transfigure his dog into a woman?"

"You mean the one who swore the dog was an animagus when the authorities turned up?" Stuart laughed.

"And it was just a dog," Victoire said with a smile.

"Some people are so strange," he said. "I mean I hate to think about if he actually did anything to that poor dog."

"Well," Victoire said. "He loved it as his wife, so I don't think he'd try to hurt it."

"I meant in a more deviant sort of way."

"That's horrible," she said as she glanced at Whit. She hadn't said a word since they left the grounds of Hogwarts. In fact, over the course of the remainder of the ten minute walk into Hogsmeade, she didn't utter a sound.

"Do you want to walk around or go get tea?" Stuart asked.

"I think we should go to the tea room first," she said with a head nod towards Whit. Stuart understood and led the way down the side street towards Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.

"Have you ever been here?" he asked.

"To Puddifoot's?" she asked. "Once. Last year." She opted out of telling him it was with David Thorpe, who she knew he was friendly with.

"I've been a few times," he said in a thoughtful way. She knew it was his turn to think of his ex now. He and Elizabeth Cole probably came here loads of time over the course of the two years they had been together. She felt the sudden urge to change the subject as fast as possible.

"I'm starving," she said as Stuart held the door to the shop open for both Victoire and Whit.

"I am too," he said. "I always skip breakfast on Hogsmeade days because I know I end up going out and eating all day."

"Me too," she agreed with a smile as she looked around the small shop. There were a handful of other couples sitting at the small tables that were stationed all over the place, but Jack was nowhere to be seen. She looked at Whit with concern. She could feel Stuart next to her do the same thing.

"I should go," Whit said.

"No," Victoire said. "He's probably running late."

"There are only so many more things he can still be," she said as Madam Puddifoot appeared.

"Three?" she asked as she cast a look around the shop wondering where she could put them.

"Just two," Whit said. "I'm leaving."

"What if he is just running late?" Victoire asked. "It's not an impossible idea."

"Yeah, give him a few minutes," Stuart said as Madame Puddifoot stared at them.

"I really don't want to intrude."

"It's a few more minutes," Victoire said. "It's not a huge deal." She glanced at Stuart who nodded.

"Fine," she said heavily as Madam Puddifoot led them over to two separate tables that were stationed close together. Victoire and Stuart sat at one table, while Whit slumped into the table next to them.

"What can I get you, kids?" Puddifoot asked.

"I'm fine for the moment," Whit said. "I'm…waiting for someone."

"We'll take the house special," Stuart said with a confirming glance at Victoire. "Is that OK?" She smiled in agreement.

"Great," Puddifoot said as she walked off leaving them alone. Victoire noticed that Whit was staring up at small cherubs that were flying around the ceiling sprinkling confetti and stars on top of them. She wondered if she could ask them to stop.

"They're always here around Valentine's day," said Stuart as he noticed Victoire watching them.

"They're cute," she said as one circled Whit's head with its ready made smile plastered across its face. She looked away and over at a couple that was sitting next to the window.

"So," Stuart said as he started to absently play with the sugar dispenser on the table. "What sort of music do you like?"

"Um, all sorts," Victoire began as Puddifoot returned with several items on a tray and started pouring tea between Stuart and Victoire. "I'm a big fan of the Nymph Chasers."

"Oh yeah they're great," he said as Whit suddenly stood up.

"I'm going to go."

"Whit…" Victoire said as she stood with her.

"I'm fine, you two just have fun," she said before she grabbed her bag and walked off. Victoire turned back towards Stuart.

"I'll be back," she said as she chased after Whit into the street. "Whit! Please stop!"

She stopped, but didn't turn around. Victoire ran to catch up with her.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "Do you want me to go back with you?"

"No," she said seriously. "You've been waiting for this date forever. I'm not ruining it."

"It's fine," she said. "I don't mind."

"But I do," she said. "Look, I'm just going to swing by a store or two and go back to the castle. I'm going to be no fun and you're going to miss out on one of the few chances you can get for some alone time with Stuart."

Victoire stared at her.

"I'm serious," she said. "Go back and enjoy yourself."

"I'm not going to be able to know you're upset."

"I'll be fine," she said with an unconvincing smile. "I want you to have a full report to tell me when you get back."

Victoire continued to stare at her. She knew she was obviously upset, but that she didn't want to show it. That fact that she was staring with her like this probably wasn't helping matters. She forced her eyes down to the ground.

"Go!" Whit demanded more forcefully.

"If I see Jack, I'm going to curse him," Victoire said as she hugged her. "I swear."

She smiled a little, but said nothing. She adjusted her scarf and then turned and walked away down the street. Victoire watched her go, feeling absolutely horrible. She had been so excited for this.

"You better have one hell of an excuse, Ians," she mumbled to herself.


	13. The Note

"And this is my uncle," Victoire said several hours later as she and Stuart stood in the middle of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The shop was crowded and looked exceptionally busy, but the second George had seen his niece, he had made his way over to greet her. She smiled as George shook Stuart's hand.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Stuart said.

George made a face. "You don't need to call me sir. That makes me sound old and official. George is fine."

"George," he said with a polite smile. "I remember spending a lot of time in your store when I was younger. The one in Diagon Alley." He laughed. "I probably blew most of my allowances on things in there to prank my sisters."

George smiled "Well, I always like to hear about lifetime customers. Truth be told, I'm shocked we're still in business all these years later."

Victoire looked around at the crowds of students who were anxiously grabbing at things and comparing product prices versus how much pocket money they had on them. "It doesn't look like business is suffering."

He smiled. "It's one of those nostalgic things. An idea two kids had one day has turned into all of this." He shook his head and grinned as a small boy with dark hair, olive skin, and a face full of freckles came running through the crowd with a small box in his hand.

"I found it, Dad!" he said.

"Excellent, Freddie." He patted him on the head. "We'll just put that over here in a minute. Do you see who's here?"

"Hi Victoire," Freddie said, smiling up at her and revealing two missing front teeth.

"Hi Freddie. How have you been? You've lost your teeth, I see."

"Three days ago!" he said before one of the shop hands came and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Do you mind if I steal him for a moment," she said to George. "I have a very important job I need done and I thought he'd be the right man for the job."

George grinned and nodded as Freddie went bustling back behind the counter. "This is his first Hogsmeade weekend," he said. "I spend most of my time at the other shop and he usually comes with me, but I always make sure I'm here in Hogsmeade when you kids come into town." He smiled over towards his son who was standing on a small foot ladder helping to restock a shelf. "He said he was ready today to try his hand at the crowds, though."

"He looks like he's doing a great job," Victoire said.

"He is," he said, still smiling. "Eight years old and already one of the hardest workers I know." He laughed. "I need to work that out of him."

Victoire smiled.

"But I need to get back to work," he said. "You kids have fun, and if you'd like anything help yourself, just let Gladys know I said it was okay. Don't go mad and put me out of business, though."

"Thanks, Uncle George.".

"Oh, and if you run into your brother before you leave town, tell him I found the brand he was looking for if he wants to stop back in. He'll know what that means."

"Louis was in here?" she asked.

"Yeah, about an hour ago," he said. "With some friends."

She nodded and thanked him again before she watched him jump behind the counter and give Freddie a tickle that made him screech with laughter.

Stuart started examining some Ton-Tongue Toffees. "How cool is it that he's your uncle?"

"He's great," she said, picking up a box of Jester Quills ("Guaranteed to write the funniest things you've ever heard!") and started to read the back instructions.

"I gave one of these to my sister once," Stuart said in an amused sort of way as he held up the Ton-Tongue Toffee box. "It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen."

"My brother and sister used to do stuff like that to me, too," she said as she rolled her eyes.

He smiled as they both picked out an item and made their way out of the store and back into the street. The day had been fun so far, which was nice given such an awkward start. Victoire still couldn't help shake feeling terrible for Whit, but she was trying to make the best of the day regardless. Plus, as Stuart had pointed out over tea, if Jack was in town as they suspected, she'd be able to get to the bottom of why he stood Whit up. With the crowds as large as they were though, she had yet to run into him or her brother in any of the shops or in the street.

She tried not to make it a mission, however. She was here with Stuart and he was providing lovely company. It wasn't fair to him to drag him around town on a quest of sorts to scold another boy. Instead, she went with the flow. After tea, they walked up and down the streets, going in almost every store they came across whether they had reason to or not. They talked about everything from music to school to friends, and shared a similar sense of humor that made the conversations animated and fun. He had even held her hand for several minutes as they walked. He only just let go as they entered her uncle's store.

"Where to next?" he asked at a little after two o'clock. The cloudy sky had just cleared to reveal several rays of sunshine breaking through.

"I think we've been everywhere," she said with a glance down the road. "We can go to the Three Broomsticks if you'd like. I know I heard Devon say that he was going to be there later on."

He bit his tongue. "Are you sure?"

"You don't want to?"

"Oh, I mean, sure," he said. "I just didn't know if you wanted to keep this just the two of us. If we go there, it'll probably be anything but."

She smiled. "I'm sure we'll manage. Come on."

The pair walked the several doors down and pushed inside of the Three Broomsticks pub, where the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Since it was afternoon, this was where most of the students found themselves after a long day of shopping and walking. Sure enough, it seemed like half of the school was crowded within the small pub.

"I'll get you something," Stuart said before he began navigating his way around her and towards the bar. "See who's here and if there's anywhere to sit."

"Okay." She glanced around and began craning her neck to see who she knew. It only took a moment before someone recognized her first.

"Victoire!" called Devon as several heads at his table turned in her direction. She smiled until she noticed he was sitting with several people; Colleen, Aspeth, Penelope, and Natalie among them.

"Hi," Victoire said as she approached them.

"Sit, sit!" he said, offering up his own seat. "We'll find more chairs."

"Where's Stuart?" Colleen asked a little too obviously. "I thought you two were on a date?"

"He's getting us something to drink," Victoire said. "And we are."

"Why are you here, then?" Aspeth asked. "It's loud and crowded and not very romantic."

"Well, we already did the romantic part," Victoire said matter of factly, just as Devon reappeared with another chair and placed it next to the one he had vacated.

"Stu can sit here next to you," he said. He lifted his glass in the air. "See problem solved."

Colleen smirked, "Always the problem solver, aren't you, Dev?" Her eyes suddenly flickered to something behind Victoire.

"Hey guys," Stuart said as he appeared moments later and handed Victoire a butterbeer. "How's it going?"

There was a murmur of greeting as everyone moved around and shifted seats in order to make room for the new arrivals. Once all was said in done, Victoire found herself sandwiched between Stuart and Natalie. The latter of which she wasn't exactly thrilled to be next to.

"So, what have you all been up to?" Penelope asked. "Anything fun?"

Stuart and Victoire looked and each other and, between the smiles and the shrugs, they both managed to say, "Yeah."

"Well, how fun," Penelope said. Colleen was forcing a smile. Victoire noted that it wasn't her usual spiteful smile, but rather a more annoyed smile. Perhaps she was getting tired of the chase that she was obviously losing?

"What's going on with everyone here?" Stuart asked around the table as Devon explained that he was just trying to tell these girls how the Potions Master, Professor Holt, obviously favors girls and that that's why he can't get any help in Potions when he asks for it. It was apparently also the reason he was doing so poorly in the subject.

"That's not true," Victoire said as she thought of Ted. "I have a friend who loved Holt and will constantly quote him when he's talking about potions."

"You have a friend who talks about potions in their free time?" Aspeth asked.

"It's part of his job," she said. "It comes up. I mean, he doesn't quote Holt to me, but he tells me that he's done it before."

"And it's a bloke?" Devon asked. "I've never seen Holt be nice to one before."

"He is a crabby git," Stuart said. "I dropped Potions as fast as I could."

"I would have dropped it if I had had the marks to keep going," Penelope said. "Luckily, my O.W.L score was so low that I didn't have to make that decision."

"Luckily…" Victoire mumbled under her breath. Natalie snorted a small laugh next to her that made Victoire throw her a sideways glance, but she was already focusing on something else and took no notice.

"I just think he prefers girls," Devon said as he crossed his arms.

"What man wouldn't?" Stuart asked with a grin. It caused several of the girls to laugh.

"Did your brother end up coming to Hogsmeade?" Penelope asked Victoire. She could suddenly feel Natalie straighten up beside her.

Victoire shrugged. "Haven't seen him." The last thing she wanted to do was tell Penelope that he was lurking about somewhere so that she could attempt to find him. The further she stayed away from him, the better.

"I thought I did earlier," Devon said. "I wasn't really paying attention, though."

"Well, I saw him," Colleen said as she lazily leaned her head on her hand.

"When?" Penelope asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I just did. " She pointed towards the bar. A few of the heads, including Victoire's, turned. There was Louis leaning against the bar and talking to the pretty new barmaid.

"Excuse me for a second," Victoire said to Stuart before she pulled her chair back and pushed her way through the crowd and towards her brother. She edged her way in between Louis and a third-year boy, both of whom were staring googly eyed at the barmaid. "Louis, we need to talk."

"Later," he said, glancing at the girl behind the bar. She looked to be in her early twenties and was far out of Louis's league. In fact, she was out of the league of any of the boys who were still in school.

"Now," she demanded.

"Then talk." He threw her an annoyed look.

"Where's Jack?"

"I don't know, around here somewhere," he said without looking at her. Just then, the girl behind the bar suddenly went to talk to Madam Rosemerta on the other end. As if he had been in a trance, Louis suddenly snapped alive and stared at his sister. "He's around somewhere."

"You don't happen to know why he decided to ditch Whit today, do you?" she asked in the same tone as before.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Why would I be kidding?" she asked, just as Jack appeared with Flynn and another girl in tow. Victoire crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at him, waiting for him to glimpse in her direction.

"So, get this," Flynn said to Louis. "There's this bloke over there who swears he can fit fourteen peanuts up his nose and…Oh, hey Vicki."

"Hi," she said without taking her eyes off of Jack. It was in that instant that he looked at her, but he didn't seem worried or surprised to see her. In fact, he looked at her and then looked back down the length of the bar as if she was the one who should be showing some reaction to him.

"Anyway," Flynn continued, "so we decided to dare him a few sickles to see if he could actually do it, and he gets to about seven and then next thing you know he's sneezing peanuts all over the places."

"It was disgusting," the girl said.

Flynn smiled. "It was hilarious."

"I wish I could have seen that," Louis said as he started looking around the room in the direction Flynn was pointing. Victoire had had enough peanut talk.

"Jack, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, I'd actually like to talk to you."

"Fantastic..." she murmured. She stepped around her brother towards Jack. "We should actually go outside."

He shrugged his shoulders in a bored way before her followed her out. Louis downed the rest of his butterbeer in a quick gulp and slammed it down on the counter before following them. Once outside, Victoire shoved her hands in pockets and stared at Jack. What was he going to say for himself?

"Well...?" he asked as Louis came and positioned himself on the bench right beside them. He was watching them both expectantly, as if they were about to put on some sort of show.

"Well?" she mimicked as she made a face. She wasn't fond of his tone at all. "Well, what the hell?"

He cocked his eyebrow and stared at her.

"What the hell?" she repeated, growing more and more irritated. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing," he said. "What are you on about?"

"What are you on about?" she asked as several people who were entering the pub turned and glanced at them.

"Why exactly did you want to talk to me?" he asked bluntly.

"Because I want to know why you decided to skip out on your plans this morning," she said. "I'd like to know why you think it's fine to stand a girl up with no explanation."

His face changed instantly. He suddenly looked at Victoire as if she had just insulted his mother. Louis similarly shared his expression from the bench.

"Oh, you're kidding me, Vic," Louis said as he stood up. "You think he's the one-?"

Jack held up his hand to silence Louis, who immediately stopped talking and started laughing as he paced away several steps.

"You think I stood her up?" Jack asked.

"I don't think," she countered, "I know. I was there."

"You were where?" he asked, his voice rising slightly. The only time Victoire had ever heard Jack raise his voice was last year after a Quidditch match against Hufflepuff when he had got a foul called against him for unnecessary roughness that he didn't feel was deserved. 

"I was with her while she was waiting for you this morning," Victoire said. "I was with her when she left the tea shop because you never showed up!"

Louis laughed again. It was a strange laugh, as if he found what she was saying amusing and at the same time unbelievable. Jack simply stared at her.

"Look," Jack began. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I actually came out here to ask you why she decided last night to say the hell with it all, and why she couldn't actually tell me to my face."

It was Victoire's turn to stare. Louis was now standing next to Jack and they both were watching her and waiting for a response. She rubbed her eyes. She had no idea what was going on, though her head had suddenly started to hurt because of all of these stupid roundabout questions.

"Okay, what are you talking about?" she asked.

Jack rolled his eyes and took a few steps away. He was either getting annoyed or gathering his thoughts, but Louis took the opportunity to step forward.

"Whit's the one who skipped out, not Jack."

"She did not!"

"Funny," he said. "That little note she wrote seems to say she did."

"What note?" She looked at Jack. "There was no note. I told you I was with her this morning while she waited for you. I watched her get ready and come to town."

"Okay, I'm confused," Jack said. "You say she did all of that, but at the same time, last night she wrote me a note telling me that she didn't want to go with me and that she didn't really fancy me all that much to begin with."

Her jaw dropped.

"I read it," Louis agreed.

"When did you read this?" she asked.

"Last night," Jack said. "In the library."

Victoire screwed up her face in thought. "She left the library right after you left for the toilet. When exactly would she have given you this note?"

"It was just there when I got back," he said. "Sitting on top of my stuff."

"She left right after she talked to you," she repeated as she ran over last night's events in her own head. "I watched her go. She didn't write you anything else before she left, let alone send anything over there."

"I assumed you brought it over," Louis said. "When you came over to talk to me."

Victoire gaped and stared at her brother. He just shrugged.

"I didn't bring anything," she stammered.

"So, where'd it come from, then?" Louis asked. He glanced at Jack, who looked annoyed and confused.

"I have no idea," she said. "All I know is that neither Whit, nor I, wrote it. Are you sure it was even meant for you?"

"It had my name on it," Jack said. "And like I said, it was sitting on top of my stuff."

"I don't know what to tell you, Jack," she said as her voice calmed.

"I want someone to tell me who the hell is screwing with me," Jack said as the color rose in his face. Victoire and Louis exchanged looks as Jack went and sat down on the bench.

She sighed as she stared down on him. "I'm sort of relieved because it's just a big misunderstanding then. I mean, I thought I was going to have to hex you here and now."

Louis grinned, but Jack said nothing. He just stared ahead blankly.

"So, how did this happen?" Louis asked.

"I'd actually love to know," Jack said before he slowly started to grimace. "So wait…she thinks I stood her up?"

Victoire nodded.

He let his head fall into his hands. "Shit..."

"It's not your fault," Louis said. "She can't hold this against you."

"We'll go talk to her," Victoire said as she glanced towards the entrance of the pub. "Hold on, I'm just going to go and say goodbye."

"Yeah, wait, I'm going to tell Flynn we're leaving," Louis said as the pair of them walked into the pub and split up once they were inside. Victoire made her way over and knelt down next to Stuart.

"Hey, there you are," he said once she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You figure things out?"

"Sort of," she whispered. "I'm going to go back to the castle."

"Why?" he asked. He turned around in his chair and came face to face with her.

"It's a long story."

"Do you want me to come?"

"Oh, no, stay. Have fun," she said. "Thanks for a really fun day."

He half smiled as Victoire glanced up and noticed Colleen was watching them. Louis appeared at her side moments later and tapped her on the shoulder to go. Natalie looked up at him, but he paid no attention to her.

"I'll see you," Victoire said to Stuart.

"Oh, are you leaving too, Louis?" Penelope asked.

"Yes, he is," Victoire said before he had a chance to answer. She tugged on his arm and pulled him towards the door. When they got back outside, Jack was still sitting just where they had left him.

"Come on," Louis said to him as he stood and the three of them started walking back towards the castle. "Let's go try and sort this out."

Jack shrugged.

"Oh, Louis," Victoire said and they continued walking. "By the way, if you so much as smile at Penelope Shears again the way I saw you smile at her last night, I'm not going to speak to you."

"What are you talking about?" he said in a way only a younger brother could. "You make this stuff up, Vic. I swear."

"Oh, don't even pretend…" she said as Louis continued to deny any sort of secret smiles for the rest of the way back to the castle.


	14. Valentine's Day

It snowed on Valentine's Day. Victoire stared out of the window of the common room and watched as the white powder slowly fell towards the earth. It was an ugly day and she was not looking forward to the trek out to the Herbology greenhouse that she had to make in a few minutes.

"Oh, look at how pretty it is!" she heard a girl coo over near the fireplace. Her friends agreed and giggled together as one of the girls modeled a pretty necklace for the others. She beamed and seemed especially proud to be the center of attention at the moment.

Victoire sighed. Valentine's Day was filled with this sort of cooing and giggling for the course of the entire day. The girls all seemed to morph into laughing hyenas that traveled in packs and were ready to pounce on any poor unsuspecting boy who they may have had valentine wishes to bestow upon them. The boys seemed none too excited by the idea and, by the looks on most of their faces, they seemed to want this day to be over as fast as possible.

She couldn't deny that she had once been a part of the then entire hyena mentality. Up until two years ago, she would giggle with friends to see if they got any sweet notes, candies, or flowers or see what boys gave what presents to whom. She enjoyed it all until two years ago. It was two years ago that she and her then boyfriend, Malcolm Abernathy, had split up just days before Valentine's Day. She had been miserable over the break up as it was, but to then have to watch all of her friends enjoy the Valentine's Day festivities only made her miserable mood worse. Particularly since Valentine's Day happened to be Colleen's favorite holiday and she was sure to let everyone know that. As Victoire watched Colleen collect flower after flower from boy after boy, she couldn't understand how she had ever thought this holiday was fun. She wished it would just disappear off of the calendar.

Even though she wasn't nursing a broken heart this year, she still had a bitter taste in her mouth over the occasion. She just couldn't disassociate it from two years ago and how miserable she had felt. She didn't even think about whether or not she may get something from Stuart since she'd learned not to get her hopes up. The last thing she needed was another let down to make her hate the day more.

"Hey," Whit said as plopped down in the chair across from Victoire after returning from her morning class. "Have you seen the weather outside?"

"Yes." She made a face. "I really wish we could skip Herbology."

Whit nodded, but they both knew that neither of them would actually skip a class. Victoire threw her things back into her bag and grabbed her cloak as they both stood and stared making their way out of the common room. As they approached the portrait hole, Sarah Kirke came waltzing through with his arms filled with flowers.

"Hey guys," Sarah said brightly. "Happy Valentine's!"

"You too," Victoire said with a polite smile as she observed the flowers impressively. "Who are these from?"

"Robbie Andrews," Sarah said. "In Slytherin."

"Oh, he's in a few classes with me," Victoire said as she continued to force a smile. "He seems nice. Are you two…?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile. "Just recently, though."

"They're pretty," Whit said as Sarah nodded and continued walking towards the dormitory. In that instant, she was barraged by a group of girls wanting to know all about the flowers and who they were from. Whit and Victoire exchanged looks.

"Well, good for her," Victoire mumbled before she turned and left through the portrait hole.

"Is the day over yet?" Whit asked.

"Only about thirteen hours," she said with a grin.

They had both decided earlier on to pretend that Valentine's Day wasn't really happening since neither of them had any real plans or expectations. Victoire didn't feel like getting her hopes up over what could happen with Stuart, and Whit's reservations with Jack over what had happened in Hogsmeade were the main reasons neither of them had decided to acknowledge the holiday. To them, it was simply another day where everyone else was acting a bit strange

While the entire issue in Hogsmeade between Whit and Jack had been cleared up for the most part, thing were still a little tense. Victoire had come back to tell Whit everything Louis and Jack had told her about the strange note and the misunderstanding, and, at first, Whit had seemed quite relieved. After several minutes though, she started to doubt the story.

"Who wrote the note, then?" she asked.

"We don't know," Victoire said, "but Jack and Louis both swear they read it. They assumed it was from you and that you blew him off."

"Why wouldn't he have asked me?"

"If he thought you blew him off through a note, can you really blame him?"

"I don't know," she mumbled. "I think it's a bit much that he would just assume that I would do that."

"What else was he supposed to think?"

Whit hadn't had an answer to that. She and Jack had talked, but it was almost as if Whit had retreated back into her shell around him. She was meek, quiet and seemed to almost be struggling to look him in the eye. He, in turn, seemed lost for something to say to her other than that he was sorry, but with Whit acting so unresponsive towards him over the last two days, it made things difficult. Victoire could understand this in part because she knew how hurt Whit had been, but Jack did seem genuinely sorry. She had to give him that. They both claimed things were fine, but it seemed as if things were strained and awkward rather than anything resembling fine.

"Oh, it's soooooo cold," Whit said the second she and Victoire emerged outside.

"The greenhouses will be warm," Victoire said as she started to almost run down the path towards the classroom. "Come on! Hurry!"

"I'm not running!" she called after Victoire, who was now several yards ahead and had no desire to wait for her. She just wanted to be inside of the warm and inviting greenhouse.

"Morning, Miss Weasley," Professor Longbottom said as she threw the door open.

"Morning, professor," she said, shaking the snow out of her hair. She took off her cloak and made her way over to her work station.

"Morning, Miss Whitters," Longbottom said as Whit entered a few seconds later.

"Morning, sir." She smiled as she went and sat down next to Victoire.

"I have a feeling we're going to a few late comers," Longbottom said as he looked at his watch. "Let's be honest, how many of you wished I canceled class today?"

Every arm in the room shot up.

"I thought so." He laughed. "It's miserable out. Tell you what though, since it's nasty out and it's Valentine's Day, we won't be working too hard today."

Victoire's face lit up. She smiled at Whit.

"Actually," he said with a small sigh. "The real reason I say that is because the Stebbins Root that I had planned on having you all dissect was left outside last night." He made a face. "It's rock solid."

"Couldn't we just thaw it with a charm, sir?" Gwelia Slints asked with her hand raised. Several people turned to give her a dirty look.

"Excellent suggestion in theory, Miss Slints," Longbottom said, "but who can tell me what we can't do that?"

A few hands shot up, including Whit's.

"Miss Whitters," he said pointing at her.

"Stebbins Root, when frozen or heated, loses the chemical compounds that make it special," she said. "It basically becomes just a garden variety weed."

"Correct," he said. "So, I'm going to have wrangle up some new samples before we can explore the exciting properties that Stebbins Root contains." He grinned. "Trust me, they are exciting." He turned when the door opened and two students entered.

"Sorry, professor," said Allistar Bains. "The weather is-"

"Just come and take your seat, Mr. Bains," Longbottom said. "You too, Miss Hollington. I was just about to tell you what your assignment for the day is."

The two scooted into the class and sat down directly in front Victoire just as Professor Longbottom took out his wand and pointed to a small blackboard in the corner. He flicked his wrist and several words started writing themselves upon it.

"I want you all to write me an essay," he began. "Convincing me why or why not you agree or disagree with the recent decision by the medical community to start eliminating kava plants from many of their healing potions." He turned around and faced the room. "If you don't know what I'm talking about, there are several copies of the Prophet here, as well as some journals on the subject. If you don't remember what the kava plant does, then I suggest you let me know so I can send you back down to third year." He smiled. "Or just ask your neighbor. Any questions?"

"How long does it have to be?" someone asked.

"Doesn't matter," he said. "Just defend your point. One sentence or twenty pages, whatever it takes."

Marcus Billingsly raised his hand.

"Mr. Billingsly?"

"Are you selling flowers again this year?"

He nodded his head. "After class, for just two sickles, you can buy a lovely rose for whomever you decide to give it to. All money, as usual, goes to help fund St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, particularly the mental illness and rehabilitation ward."

"I think I'll buy some," Victoire said to Whit. "It's for a good cause."

"Yeah," she said, "but are you just going to keep them or give them to someone?"

She considered this. "Would it be stupid if I gave one to Stuart?"

"Everyone else gives away flowers to everyone else," Whit said. "So, probably not."

"Are you going to get any?"

"I left all my money upstairs," she said as she put her quill to parchment and stared scribbling out her essay.

Victoire watched her for a moment before she did the same. Soon, the entire class worked in silence until an hour passed and Professor Longbottom called for anyone who was interested in flowers to follow him over to Greenhouse One. The rest of the class was excused early.

"If I leave now," Victoire said. "I can actually be on time for Runes for once."

"I thought you were buying flowers?" Whit asked.

She made a face. "It'd be stupid to buy a boy a flower."

"It is not," Whit said. "I'll even buy it for you. I've got the rest of the day off. Plus, doesn't he have Herbology next? I can just hand it off to him right now."

Victoire sighed. "You don't think it's a stupid idea?"

"Even if it is, it's for a good cause," she said.

Victoire dug into her bag for change. She only had a galleon. "Make sure it's not too flowery," she said as she handed it to her.

She smirked. "Right. Not too flowery. Got it." She turned abruptly and followed the other students out towards Greenhouse One as Victoire watched her go. She really hoped this wasn't a stupid idea...

"Tell me again what he said," Victoire said as she and Whit walked towards the Great Hall for dinner later that night.

"I've already told you three times," she said. "What happened to you not caring about Valentine's Day?"

"I don't," she said, "but I just want to make sure one more time."

"He laughed," she said. "It was a friendly and appreciative laugh. Then he thanked me and said he'd thank you later when he saw you. Remember, it was cold out, so we didn't really stand around and chat."

Victoire smiled. "I was so afraid he was going to laugh at me."

"He wasn't going to laugh at you," Whit said as they turned the corner and walked into the Great Hall. They stopped in their tracks when they saw that it was decorated in pinks, reds, and purples and that the familiar looking cherubs from Madam Puddifoot's were now flying around sprinkling confetti around the room.

"Oh, you're joking," Whit said in an almost horrified way.

"They went all out this year," Victoire muttered as she slowly took a few steps into the hall.

"What the hell?" someone said from behind them as more and more students entered and stopped in surprise.

"I think it's adorable!" someone else said.

"What's the hold up?" someone shouted. "Move! I'm hungry!"

The crowd broke up and everyone made their way towards their house tables. The whispers, squeals of delight, and groans of annoyance could be heard from every corner of the room as Victoire sat down and purposely avoided a cherub that was circling her side of the room.

"It looks like Valentine's Day was sick all over the room," Whit mumbled.

"At least it's colorful in here," Victoire offered.

Whit rolled her eyes at this and reached forward for the mashed potatoes. She pulled back when she noticed that there was confetti in them. She looked annoyed, but Victoire couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey!" Louis said as he walked by with his arms full of roses. He pulled out one and handed it to Victoire. "For you."

"You got me a flower?" she asked. She noticed he had a lipstick mark on the side of his face.

"I got loads of people flowers," he said. "Longbottom's selling them for the hospital, so I bought about ten." He turned towards Whit and handed her one. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Thanks," she said as she took it and examined it. "You know if it wasn't for such a good cause..."

"Whose lips did that lipstick once belong to?" Victoire interrupted as she pointed at her brother's face.

"Hard to tell." He said with a smile. "You wouldn't believe how excited some girls get when you give them a flower."

Victoire rolled her eyes as Louis grinned, winked, and made his way down the table to hand out yet another flower to Dominique and more to the girls she was sitting with. She looked around the rest of the room and saw several people running around and handing out flowers to admirers and friends. Colleen was currently by the Slytherin table with Aspeth; both holding four or five roses a piece and laughing loudly with a particularly handsome Slytherin boy.

"One flower for me and it's from my brother," she mumbled. "How pathetic am I?"

"You want mine?" Whit asked.

"You don't like flowers either?"

"It's not that I don't like them," she said. "They're pretty, I guess. I just think they're so impersonal. Girls get so excited that their boyfriends get them flowers for things like this because they think it makes them special, but their boyfriends are just doing what everyone else is doing. I'd rather someone gave me a Stebbins Root."

"You don't seriously mean that."

"Well, not really," she said, "but you know what I mean." She glanced down at the flower. "Like I said, at least it's going to a good cause."

"So, morally respectable flowers are okay?" Victoire teased as she picked confetti out of her potatoes.

"Essentially," Whit said, just as a girl several seats down yelled out excitedly. She must have just received something particularly nice because she was now tightly hugging the boy who was standing next to her.

"What has gotten into everyone?" Victoire said as she watched them. "It's as if someone put love potion into their pumpkin juice-" She stopped speaking abruptly when she saw Stuart hugging Colleen and handing her one of the three flowers he had in his hand. She suddenly felt like her heart fell into the pit of her stomach.

"Professor Longbottom's got to be collecting a fortune," Whit said as she watched everyone in the room. "Hogwarts alone will probably be able to fund the hospital for a month!" She turned towards Victoire, expecting a smile or a laugh, but instead noticed her expression. "What's wrong?"

"Stuart just gave Colleen a flower."

She turned and saw that the two were still talking over by the Ravenclaw table. "They are friendly," she said. "I mean your brother just gave me a flower and you know that doesn't mean anything."

This answer didn't make Victoire feel any better as she watched as Colleen smiled widely at him and touched his arm as he turned to walk away. He had to know Colleen was as mad about him as she was. Everyone knew that! He wasn't stupid and she wasn't being subtle in the least. For a split second, Victoire could easily see why Colleen hadn't give up on him. Stuart wasn't giving her any reason to.

"Hey," he said as he approached the pair of them. "Thanks for the flower earlier."

Victoire forced a small smile.

"I was hoping I would run into you earlier," he said as he handed her two roses, "but I guess our schedules don't coincide much on Monday's."

She took the two flowers and smiled a little larger. "Thank you."

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said. "Are you going to be in the library later?"

"I don't know," she said as she inspected the flowers she had just been given.

"Well, I was planning on going, so if you do, find me." He smiled quickly before turning back towards the Ravenclaw table. "I'll see you later."

"See, now you're not pathetic anymore," Whit joked as Victoire placed his flowers on the table next to the one Louis had given her.

"I'm not really hungry anymore, either," she muttered. She had never been a jealous person, but she couldn't help but be extremely bothered by the fact that Stuart had given Colleen Lynch, of all people, a flower. Of the three flowers he had bought, he had given her one of them.

"He gave you two," Whit offered as if she had just read her mind.

She shrugged and said nothing else throughout the course of dinner. She poked at her food a few times while waiting for Whit to finish her own, but she just couldn't get the image of Stuart and Colleen out of her head. Why did she have to fancy a boy with so many complications attached? Why couldn't she just find a boy who liked her and her only? One that didn't have loads of other girls chasing after him? One that didn't seem to be leading on more than one girl.

"Come on," Whit said as she stood and dropped her napkin on the table. "Let's go back to the common room. We can get our stuff and head over to the library-"

"No," she said. "Let's study in the common room tonight."

She stared at her. "You don't want to go to the library after Stuart said-?"

"Not really," she said as she stood up. "Not tonight. The common room is fine."

Whit looked surprised, but nodded in agreement as they both grabbed their things and left the Great Hall. There were several groups of kids standing around in the halls laughing and otherwise enjoying their Valentine's Day. Victoire felt a little jealous towards all of them. She was genuinely starting to hate this holiday.

"I'm sure it was just a friendly gesture," Whit said as they entered the common room after walking back in silence. "Valentine's Day is stupid and there's no reason to read into all of this for something that was probably insignificant."

"I don't even know anymore," Victoire said as she threw herself into a chair by the fire and began to watch the flames. "I'm tired of it all."

Whit smiled sympathetically as they sat there quietly. After awhile, she pulled out a book and started to read while Victoire continued to stare into the fire thinking about whether or not it was even worth her time anymore to pursue Stuart. Sure, they had a fun time on their date, but it was almost more work than it was worth. Then there was always the impending threat of Colleen…

"Hi," said a voice that made her turn away from the fire. It was Jack.

"Hey Jack," Victoire said before turning back. Whit didn't say anything, but over the last two days, she had only been smiling politely at him anyway. It wasn't surprising.

"Um, this is for you," Jack said as someone called his name from across the room. By the time Victoire turned back to see what he had been talking about, he was walking away, and Whit still had her hand raised in the air from where she had taken something from him.

"What is it?" Victoire asked, noticing that it was a piece of parchment folded up several times.

She shrugged and started to unfold it. Victoire watched her as she did and continued watching her as she read it over. Whatever it said, it was enough to cause an ever growing smile on her face.

"What's it say?" she asked as she sat up straight.

Whit laughed and looked across the room in Jack's direction. He was standing with his back towards them.

"What's it say?" she asked again before Withheld it out for her to take. She grabbed it and started reading it over. It was a drawing of several-what appeared to be-flowers. There was a random little character flying around on a broom and circling the flowers-which were big enough to be trees in comparison to the characters size-over and over again. Whether the flowers were supposed to be huge, or the character tiny, Victoire couldn't tell. Her eyes drifted to a message underneath the drawing:

Roses are red.

And expensive too

I spent all my money in Hogsmeade this weekend

So, I hope you like what I drew.

Happy Valentine's Day

Victoire laughed as she glanced back at Whit, who was smiling back at her. She noticed that there was some writing on the back and flipped it over to read what it said.

_Hey Jane,_

_First off, THIS note is from me. I swear. Second, I'm really not cheap. I actually did spend all my money in Hogsmeade, so this is my attempt at an alternative to flowers and all that other stuff._

_Third, I spent all of Potions doing this. So, if I fail my O.W.L it's your fault. I'll be lucky to pass any of my O.W.L.s at this rate because instead of paying attention in class, I can't stop thinking about you. Corny, I know, but true. I'm sorry for everything that's happened lately, and I'm honestly sorry for what happened on Saturday. I'd take it all back if I could, but since I can't I can only say that I really like you. A lot…And I'm hoping you might still feel the same way._

_Love, Jack_

"This is so sweet," Victoire said, handing it back to her. "I can't believe this is the same kid who used to help my brother tie my shoes together and string them from a tree in our yard."

"This is perfect," she murmured as she continued to stare down at it. Victoire glanced back over towards Jack, who was still standing and talking with his back to them. After reading the letter, she sensed he wasn't looking this way on purpose.

"You know," Victoire joked. "If you're not going to have him, I'm might have to take a crack."

"No, I think I'll have him," Whit said trying to force the smile off of her face.

"I'm not the one you should be telling." She gestured towards him.

Without a second's hesitation, Whit stood and started walking across the room towards him. Victoire turned in her chair and watched expectantly as Whit went and tapped him on the shoulder. As they walked off a few steps together, they began talking in a bashful, but happy manner. She smiled as she watched them. Whatever was being said, they both seemed adorably happy about it.

"How cute," she mumbled to herself before she turned back around and started back into the fire. As happy as she was for Whit, she couldn't help but wish she could have something just as nice and adorable for herself. Where was her thoughtful gesture from a nice boy who cared enough to take the time out of his day to do something sweet for her? Where was this guy?


	15. Realizations

Victoire adjusted her cloak from underneath her as she situated herself on a large boulder by the lake. The weather had warmed significantly lately and besides the icy breeze that was kicking up off the water, it was almost perfect. She could move to a spot that was less drafty, she knew that. However, this spot provided so much to see. It had a perfect view of the lake, the mountains, and the forest. Suffering through a little cold wind was worth it just for the view.

She glanced down at the letter in her hand. It was from her parents telling her how much they missed her and asking about how school was going. Apparently, her father had gotten a promotion at the bank and that meant he wouldn't have to work as much, but would have to travel more. She could tell by the way her father wrote that he was excited at the chance to travel again. It was something he had all but given up when she and her siblings had come along, and something he had only started to get back into once they were all off at school. Her mum seemed excited for the extra income that his promotion would bring, but Victoire could tell that she wasn't as excited about the traveling as he was. The extra money was enough that her mum could quit her job if she wanted and travel with him, but Victoire wasn't sure she'd ever do that.

She sighed as she folded up the letter. She was feeling homesick today. The last few days had been low for her and she couldn't exactly explain why. Things weren't bad: Her marks were high, she was getting along with everyone, and things with Stuart were okay, though also the same as they had always been. That was probably a bad thing. She should have been thrilled, but she wasn't. She felt despondent. She felt as though something was missing. She felt like hugging her mother.

She had Whit to talk to, but since she and Jack had officially become a couple she had become busier splitting her time between everyone and school. It wasn't something that really bothered Victoire. She knew Whit was excited about her new relationship and that she deserved to enjoy herself, but at the same time. it was a little lonely on this end. Watching Whit and Jack together tended to remind her of her own current dating situation-or rather, lack thereof-and how much of a bother it was. Wasn't the whole point of dating to have fun with someone you fancied? Where was the fun part?

She picked up the other letter she had received, which she knew by the messy script on the outside was from Ted. She smiled as she unfolded it and started to read.

_Hey Vic,_

_I think we should call a truce. I won't give you a hard time for taking forever to answer me if you do the same. I know you're probably thinking this benefits me more than you and you're right. So, a truce, it is? I mean, if you're going to call one with Colleen Lynch, you might as well call one with me._

_Speaking of which, don't trust her. I don't buy her for a second. Truce my arse. She's probably thinking of other ways to screw with you. You say Louis's girl split up with him after she became friendly with her? Well, there may have been some bigger problems there that I don't know about, but I also wouldn't be surprised if Colleen talked her into it. Sort of like a twisted game for her. Instead of screwing with you, she'll screw with the people you care about. It's her style, and you're asking for it for fancying the same bloke she does (I see I was right by the way. Stuart Reynolds spelled backwards is wanker)._

_You probably think I'm crazy, but you know she's not calling any sort of truce. I just don't want to see you hurt. Just watch out._

_Grams is good. She says hello. Easter is good and my schedule should be cleared (I have a schedule!). We'll hang out. Sorry this isn't longer, but work beckons and I just wanted to write so you didn't think I was ignoring you (which I wouldn't do)._

_Miss you,_

_Ted Remus Lupin_

She laughed once she noticed he had signed his entire name, just as she had done on her last letter. She could always count on Ted to appreciate her dumb jokes and play along with the silly things she did, even if he was hours away. With him off in London now, she couldn't help but regret having spent his last year of school not speaking to him. Not that they would have spoken much what with Celia trying her best to keep them apart, but it would have been something.

She frowned as she re-lived their infamous argument over again in her head. It had been the only time they had ever really fought and it had resulted in them almost throwing away fifteen and a half years of friendship. If she thought she felt low now, nothing had compared to the feeling she had experienced then.

A ray of sun bounced off the lake and hit her in the eyes, causing her to squint. She looked down to read the note once more and her eyes drifted to the line about Colleen going after the people she cared about to get at her and maybe even being the cause of Louis's breakup. Had Colleen been the one who convinced Natalie to break up with Louis? The timing was almost too perfect, but at the same time, besides feeling sorry for her brother, it hadn't really affected her that much. Plus, Penelope fancied Louis. If Colleen broke them up, it was most likely for more selfish reasons rather than vengeful ones.

"There you are," said a voice from several feet away. It was Whit.

"Hey," Victoire said. "How'd you find me?"

"You weren't in any of the usual places." She began climbing up the boulder to get to her. "So, your sister told me to check out here."

She grinned and moved over to make room for her to sit.

"What are you doing?" Whit asked, taking notice of the small pile of letters and discarded envelopes.

"Just reading my mail," she said, "and thinking."

She nodded and stared out over the lake. "This is a good spot to think."

Victoire nodded as well, but said nothing.

"Any good news?" Whit asked, gesturing towards the letters.

"My dad got a promotion," she said, "which is good. Ted is Ted. As usual." She paused. "He thinks Colleen's not to be trusted and that she's the one who broke up Louis and Natalie."

"Why does he think that?"

"Because she loves to cause problems. He seems to want to think that she's hurting the people around me to indirectly get to me."

"So, she tried to hurt Louis to get to you?"

"Apparently."

"If that's the case, she didn't plan that one out very well, did she?" she asked. "If anything, I would think if she had a hand in breaking them up, it was because Penelope seems to fancy him and with Natalie out of the way, he's free game."

Victoire smiled. "I thought the same thing. That sounds far more likely than her trying to hurt me through Louis."

"Unless she was trying to kill two birds with one stone," Whit joked.

"I think you're giving her too much credit," she said. "She's not some sort of mastermind. If she was, she'd be diabolically planning to give me spattergroit or something."

Whit laughed. "That's one way to make it so you never see Stuart."

"She almost doesn't even have to worry about that anymore," Victoire said with a lazy sigh. "I mean, I see him once every other day with how different our schedules are. She's got a least three classes with him and she gets loads of chances to see him. When I do actually get a chance to spend some time with him, like in Hogsmeade, something comes up and I can't even do that."

"Something came up?" Whit asked. "What came up?"

"You and Jack," she said. "I left to help you all sort that out."

Whit stared at her. "You didn't tell me that."

"I was too busy trying to help you sort out that note and your argument," she said, stretching her arms behind her and leaning back. "It slipped my mind."

Whit continued to stare at her as if she was deep in thought; her head cocked to the side. "Wait, you left your date with Stuart early?"

"I just said that."

"And what did Stuart end up doing after you left?"

She shrugged. "We were already at the Three Broomsticks, so I'm assuming he stayed."

"Who else was there?"

"Everyone," she said. "Why?"

"Was Colleen there?"

"Yes…" She watched Whit curiously, wondering what she was playing at.

"There's no way she…" Whit stammered. "She couldn't have…?"

"What are you talking about? She couldn't have what?"

Whit started shaking her head in disbelief; her jaw slowly dropped.

"What?" Victoire asked as she sat up and watched her. "What's wrong?"

"Penelope was the one who gave Jack that note," Whit said. "The one claiming to be me. I don't know if she wrote it, but she's the one who gave it to him. We saw her sitting in his seat that night in the library."

"How do you-?" she began before she realized that it made perfect sense. She had been sitting right there talking to Louis from Jack's seat. She would have had the perfect opportunity. "But why?"

"But how did no one notice?" Whit asked, ignoring her.

"I guess no one was really paying attention," she said as a sudden thought occurred. "Wait! She knocked over some of Jack's stuff! I remember she did it! She probably slipped it in when she put it all back." She shook her head. "But why would she have done it? What does she have against you two?"

"It wasn't just her," Whit said as she began to get excited. "It was probably all of them. I think they were hoping that what did end up happening, would end up happening. They had to have seen Jack and me passing notes. I think I almost accidentally hit one of them in the head a time or two while I was sending them across the room." She paused to formulate her thoughts. "They would have planned it so that he just assumed it was another note from me."

Victoire stared at her.

"He would get mad and end up not showing up like he did," she continued. "Then I'd get upset and tell you and you'd-"

"Try to comfort you," she muttered as it all started to become clear to her.

"And you'd end up leaving your date," she said matter-of-factly. "You'd end up leaving Stuart in Hogsmeade where Colleen, with you out of the way-could..."

Victoire gasped; everything hit her like a Bludger to the head.

"That has to be it!" Whit yelled. "And one way or another, she got what she wanted because you did end up leaving early."

"THAT BITCH!" she yelled. Several birds flew out of nearby trees.

"It's pretty ingenious," Whit mused. "In an evil mastermind way."

"And she screwed with you and Jack to get to me," Victoire said, still unable to really believe the information she was hearing. "To get between me and Stuart. Ted was right."

"I can't believe we figured that out," Whit said with a wide smile.

"I can't believe she would do that!" Victoire said, her face now getting red. "And you know, I bet anything that after I left, she cozied right up to him."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Whit said. "The more she can get you out of the picture, the better her chances are."

"And the Louis and Natalie thing?" she asked. "Does that connect somehow?"

Whit bit her bottom lip. "I can't think of anything. I really think that they wanted them apart so that Penelope could have a chance. Valentine's Day, the Hogsmeade trip...with all of that was coming up, there were all sorts of opportunities. Plus, if she did manage to snag Louis, how much would you hate that? Can you picture Penelope coming to you house for family dinners?"

Victoire suddenly shuddered and it had nothing to do with the cold. She couldn't believe the lengths that these girls went through to get what they wanted. They didn't care who they hurt as long as in the end they had their prize.

"What are you going to do?" Whit asked as she watched Victoire cautiously.

"Hex her," she said tersely. "Curse her. Do something particularly nasty."

"You can't do that."

"Why aren't you angrier?" she asked. "Colleen used you and Jack as pawns in her sick little game!"

"I am angry," Whit said, "but things worked out, just like they will with Stuart if they're meant to work out. You winning this little battle is the best revenge."

"Oh, I don't know," she mumbled. "Giving her spattergroit sounds pretty good right now."

"Let's not get you expelled. Honestly, the worst thing you could do is win Stuart. To prove to her that no matter what she pulls, she can't control the universe with her dirty tricks."

"How am I supposed to walk back into that school and not go straight after her?"

"Because if you pull it out into the open, she's just going to start spreading rumors about you again and get a lot more underhanded," she said. "She thrives when she feels threatened. You're the one who told me that."

"So, if I keep chasing Stuart," she said, "she's going to keep doing this?"

Whit shrugged. "If she thinks you're winning him she's going to keep doing this. If she thinks you're on equal footing, well..." She shrugged again.

"I really think hexing her with some horrific boils would be faster and easier."

Whit smiled. "She'd probably just make them fashionable and worth having."

The month leading up to Easter holidays ticked by suspiciously slow. Victoire almost wondered whether or not she was being told the wrong date on purpose because sometimes, she could have sworn that the day it happened to currently be had already happened. No one shared this sentiment more than the fifth and seventh-years. It was a rare occurrence to not see one with their face tucked away in a book or awake until who knew what time in the common room.

"I wish I could just take the damn exam now," Louis said one afternoon as he dropped his head down onto his book in frustration.

"Speak for yourself," Jack said as he and Dominique tried desperately to look up facts on werewolves for an essay they were trying to finish before that afternoon.

"What year was Wolfsbane discovered?" Dominique asked in a panicky sort of way.

"I don't know," Jack said, flipping through his book. "Why are you asking me?"

She glared at him. "Because I just asked you to look it up."

"Ah, memories," Victoire said as she and Whit exchanged smiles.

As it were, neither Victoire nor Whit had bothered to tell Jack about the source of the mysterious note. It was probably better this way, what with his stress level already raised due to school. Not to mention, he seemed to have forgotten all about it. Though, their main reason not to tell him was because they knew he would tell Louis and Dominique and those two, especially Dominique, couldn't be trusted to keep their mouths shut. Victoire knew all too well that Dominique would go straight to Colleen and Penelope and have a few choice words with them.

Matters with Stuart were still the same, however. There were several nights where he came and sat with Victoire in the library, or they would run into each other in the halls where they would have involved conversations; these were always nice and would often get Victoire excited, but then of course something with Colleen would happen hours later-Victoire witnessing them sitting in the library together, or seeing them laughing in the halls, for example-and bring her right back to square one. She had even seen them sitting next to each other in Charms one day when asked to bring Professor Flitwick a message from McGonagall. It was a vision that had made her cringe.

Whit kept at her, though, reminding her that the best plan of attack was to keep after Stuart in an effort to not let Colleen win. The problem was that as the weeks drew on, and one instance after another of feeling second best continued, Victoire was starting to wonder if Stuart was really worth fighting for. When it was just she and him, she felt as if this was the easiest choice in the world. He was so cute, so charming, so perfect. When she saw him with Colleen, he was suddenly so fickle, so aggravating, so not worth the crap she was going through.

"So, you're over him, then?" Whit asked as she and Victoire packed their trunks the day before Easter holidays.

Victoire threw several of her school robes onto her bed in an attempt to make more room in her trunk. "If Stuart came up to me right now and confessed his undying love for me, or hell, just that he'd likes me enough to want to be together, then I'd absolutely run with it. I just can't take this 'will he, won't he' nonsense anymore. Every time I think he's really interested in me, I see him acting the same way with Colleen."

"I still say that he fancies you."

"Well, perhaps he fancies more than one person," she said. "And sorry, but I'm a one man kind of girl."

Whit laughed and shook her head.

"I really thought," she continued as she started folding jumpers, "on my birthday, you know? I thought that was the beginning. The way he acted around me and the fact that he seemed so annoyed by Colleen. I remember thinking that it was only a matter of time before we'd start dating. Then he asked me to Hogsmeade and I thought, 'Well, that settles it, it's only a matter of days…'" She dropped a pair of shoes into her trunk and looked up at Whit. "It's been four months since my birthday, Whit."

"I know." She slammed her own trunk shut. "Trust me, I know."

"So, then the other part of me thinks, 'Come on Vic, you can do better than this. No boy is worth this much of a struggle. Just let Colleen have him.'"

Whit made a face.

Victoire nodded. "Exactly," she said. "Why give anything to Colleen that easily when she doesn't deserve it?"

"But if you don't like him-"

"But I do like him," she cried into one of her jumpers. "I just don't like this!"

"You know there are plenty of drama free boys out there."

"Liar."

"You're right," she joked. "I don't know where I heard that from."

"How hard is it to find a boy who likes me for me?" she asked in a frustrated manner as she started randomly throwing things into her trunk. "One who cares about the things I have to say and shares the same interests I have. One who makes me laugh, and one that I can talk to without feeling like I'm being judged for my opinions?" She sighed loudly. "Just one who makes me feel special for being me."

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Well, if you're asking..." She smiled. "It'd be nice if he was tall, too."

"It's not hard," Whit said from her bed. "It might be right now, but you shouldn't settle for anything less."

"Bah," Victoire mumbled as she started pulling out her bundles of letters and piling them on the floor to make more room in her trunk. "I'm not sure that guy exists."

"I think you may be closer than you think," Whit said as she reached down and picked up one of the bundles.

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"Well..." Whit took the band off some of the letters and started flipping through them. "Someone who likes you for you. Someone who doesn't judge you for your opinions or for your friends for that matter, even though he's let it be known that he can't stand them. Someone you can talk to and shares the same interests with you…"

Victoire laughed. "Do you know someone?" she asked as she glanced over at her. She stopped laughing when she saw that Whit was holding Ted's letters up and staring at her. "Oh, don't even…"

"Well, it fits, doesn't it?" she asked, flipping through them again.

"He's my best friend," she said. "Of course it fits. You fit all of those categories too, but I don't want to date you."

"I'm also not very tall," she said as she came across one letter in particular. "This one is four pages long."

"So?"

"You two are just close is all." She banded the letters back up. "Plus, you always get really excited when he writes to you, and you always talk about him fondly. You two obviously care about each other quite a bit."

"He's my best friend," she repeated.

"I know, but sometimes we don't see the things that are right in front of us." She handed Victoire back her letters. "I'm just making a suggestion."

"You say that because you don't know Ted and me together." She snatched the letters back. "On paper it may seem…" She paused and struggled to find the right words. "It may seem like it would work, but trust me. Spend ten minutes in a room with us and you'll see why it wouldn't."

"You're probably right." She shrugged. "Obviously you'd know better than I would."

"I do," she said as she stood up and threw the letters back into her trunk before slamming it shut. "Once you spend some time with the both of us, you'll realize how ridiculous even the thought of that is."


	16. The Black Spot

Sleeping in her own bed, in her own room, in her own house was an experience that Victoire couldn't anticipate ever getting old. This was the exact thought running through her head as she awoke and found herself staring straight down into her pillow. She flipped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. There was a small dark spot positioned right above her bed that she always found herself focusing on during these lazy days where sleeping in was the one thing on her mind. The mark had been made by accident. An accident she had caused and had thought was the end of the world at the time, but now was just an amusing anecdote.

She smiled as she thought back to that day that had seemed like yesterday, but was actually years ago. Time had flown by since the summer day where she and Ted spent a lot of hours doing a lot of nothing, yet it always seemed like something. She could remember in exact detail where she had been sitting and what she had been doing. She was nine years old; rail thin with knobby knees and hair that reached all the way to her waist. She had bruised her arm falling out of a tree earlier that day and had been forced inside and up to her room due to her mother's over cautious nature.

The most specific thing she could remember about that day was the impending sense of not wanting it to end. She had been sad, but she hadn't wanted to show it. She didn't want to be a baby, and plus, Ted would think it was stupid. He wouldn't understand. He was so excited and practically wishing the day was over as it was. He wanted the entire next four days to be over as fast as possible. She could picture him exactly, too. He had just hit a growth spurt and his pants were too short on him. His hair was messy and blue, the color he always wore it if he had his way. Most importantly, he was eleven and couldn't stop talking about leaving for Hogwarts...

"It's ten inches," Ted said as he pulled out his wand to show it to her. "Hawthorne and dragon's heartstring."

She started at it; almost afraid to touch it. They had talked about getting their own wands for as long as she could remember and here he had his own.

"Go ahead, take it," he offered.

She sat down on the edge of her bed and slowly lifted it out of his hands. "Wow," she said quietly.

"Pretty cool, eh?"

"I want one," she said with a small smile.

"You'll get one." He shrugged and sat down next to her before taking it back. "Just a few more years."

"Two more years," she mumbled. "That's an eternity."

"Not really."

"You say that because you get to leave soon." She stood up and looked out the window. The day was getting later and anytime now Ted's grandmother was going to show up to take him home. She wouldn't see him again until who knew when. He'd be off at school meeting new people, learning magic, and making new friends while she sat at home. Stuck here in her room.

"I got my robes, too," he said, oblivious to Victoire's mood. "And my books, and Harry even got me an owl."

She turned back around and stared at him curiously. He got an owl? His own owl?

"What did you name it?" she asked.

"I haven't yet," he said. "What do you think I should name it?"

She furrowed her brow and plopped down next to him again. "You should name it Auggie."

"Why?" he asked, making a face.

"Because I like that name."

"Why?"

"Why not?" she countered. "It's a nice name."

He laughed. "It's stupid."

"You're stupid."

"You're stupid," he said in trade of quips that could go on all day if they let it. Victoire, however, chose to change the subject instead.

"What house do you think you'll get?" she asked as she glanced at him.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess I could go anywhere. Harry was in Gryffindor and so was Ginny, and they both told me that's what my dad was. My Grams was in Slytherin and she said my mum and granddad were Hufflepuffs."

"Which one do you want?"

"I'd be happy with all of them," he said as a small smile crept over his face. "Maybe Ravenclaw is to be different." He smiled wider the more he thought about it. She smiled with him, but it didn't take long for her to remember that she wouldn't be able to sit around laughing with him much longer. She frowned.

"Harry told me you can't wear your robes until you're on the train and close to school," he added.

"Why not?"

"I guess you just don't," he said. "He also said that when I get there, I have to go and visit Hagrid. You remember him?"

She nodded.

"He said he's expecting me, so that'll be good." He paused and became quiet. "I'm sort of nervous."

She stared at him in surprise. "You are?"

"I won't know anyone." He frowned. "I mean, I'll know Hagrid, but I won't know anyone else. I'll be by myself."

"You'll make friends, though," she said. "Probably loads of them."

"Maybe," he said as he stood up and put his wand into his pocket. "I hope so."

"You will," she said confidently. "You'll probably go and make better friends than me."

He seemed to consider this. "I doubt it. I've known you almost my whole life"

"I hope you don't," she said as she quickly frowned. It was her turn to get quiet as she watched Ted pull a small package out of his pocket.

"I won't," he said as he started examining the package. "You're my best friend."

"I am now," she said, "but you're probably going to meet someone older and more fun."

"You worry too much," he said, still examining his package.

Victoire felt tears welling up in her eyes as he said this. The more and more she thought about him leaving, the more upset she got. Her stomach started to hurt. She didn't want her friend to leave.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he finally took notice of her.

"Nothing," she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve and sniffling a little. "What's that in your hand?"

He continued to stare at her, but quickly looked back down to the package. "Your Uncle George gave it to me when I was shopping in Diagon Alley. He gave me loads of stuff to take to school with me, but he said I had to be careful with it."

She stood and walked over to look at it. It had a small string sticking out of it and the word caution written on the side. "What happens when you pull the string?"

"I don't know," he said. "It was the first thing I grabbed because I figured we could experiment."

"Pull it," she said, looking up at him.

"We're inside," he said obviously. "And your mum won't let us go back outside."

"It's probably just a cracker that makes noise." She took it from him and sat back on the bed. "I've seen these in the store."

"You pull it, then," he said as he sat and watched her expectantly.

She stared back down at it. The tiny instructions said to pull the string in a wide open space and to keep out of the hands of small children. She looked around her room. This space was plenty wide enough.

"Ok, here we go," she said as she squinted her eyes and began to pull just as Ted stuck his fingers in his ears. It was in that instant the cracker exploded and a flood of light and sound filled the room as a miniature fireworks display went off. Both she and Ted ducked to the ground for cover as they watched little wispy fireworks shoot around the room. As a last minute finale, a single miniature fireball shot straight into the air and hit the ceiling; singeing a small black spot right above her bed.

She and Ted turned and looked at each other, both of their eyes wide and their jaws dropped.

"That was so cool," he said finally.

"I'm in so much trouble," she said anxiously as she stood up and stared at the spot. She couldn't understand how her parents weren't in her room that instant to see what the commotion was all about, but she didn't even hear footsteps up the stairs.

"It's just a little spot," he said as he hopped up on the bed and started to examine it.

"We shouldn't have done that," she said as she felt tears in her eyes again. Her emotions were already high, this was the last thing she needed.

"Oh, don't cry," he said looking down at her and hopping off the bed. "It'll be okay, Vic. I promise."

"You don't know that," she said as a few tears started falling down her face. She started breathing very quickly. "My parents are going to be so upset."

He stared at her. "Please don't cry. What can I do to make you stop crying?"

"I-I-I don't know," she stammered before she sat back down.

"They may not even notice," he said. "You could paint over it."

She looked up the black spot on the ceiling and started to cry harder. She knew her parents would notice it first thing and that she would get into so much trouble. Ted was leaving and she would take all the blame. He would get to run off to Hogwarts and learn magic and have fun while she would get scolded and probably grounded.

"Please don't cry," he said, looking uncomfortable. "Hey, if I name my owl Auggie, will that cheer you up?"

She briefly stopped sobbing and looked at him, her face red and puffy. "You would name him Auggie?"

"If it would make you stop crying," he said anxiously.

"But you said you thought it was stupid," she said with another sniffle.

"If you like it." He sighed. "It's okay, I guess."

She smiled a little. For a moment, she forgot about how her parents were going to be mad and about all the trouble she was going to get into. She forgot about Ted leaving for school and that she'd soon be alone. The only thought that crossed her mind was that this was the nicest thing Ted had ever offered to do for her. She didn't even care if he did it, she was just happy he had offered…

Victoire sat up in her bed and pushed the covers back. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes quickly before glancing back up at the spot once more. It was funny how one little spot held so many memories. She had, in fact, gotten into a load of trouble once her parents had found out, but only in the form of extra chores and a long lecture. Ted had left for school shortly after, but things hadn't been so bad. She learned that it really wasn't the end of the world when your friend went away, and it also made her realize that she really did value Ted and his company. Before that, she'd never really thought about it. He had always just been there.

She suddenly thought about what Whit had said in their dormitory as they were packing their trunks. The idea of she and Ted as anything more than friends was ridiculous; even laughable. After all, this was Ted. Ted Lupin... There were loads of reasons why that would never work out, but she was having a problem pinpointing them. She wasn't attracted to him, that was one. Then again, she'd never bothered to think about him like that. Well, at least not since she was a little girl and that didn't count. Without attraction, where could you go from there?

Sure, they had similar interests, goals, outlooks, and senses of humor. Sure she could trust him and knew that he'd bend over backwards for her if she really needed it. Sure, she knew he was a great guy, but all those reasons were why they were friends in the first place. Why should she ever have to think about it being anything more?

Yet, she did…and she hated Whit for putting this nagging thought at the back of her mind. The strange part was that she couldn't understand why it was nagging her at all. Why was she sitting here trying to validate reasons why it wouldn't work? It just wouldn't. It was as simple as that.

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. "Vic?"

"I'm up," she called back.

"There's some breakfast ready downstairs," her father said. "Plus, you've got some mail so I thought I'd wake you."

"I'll be down," she said as she started running her hands through her hair. She looked straight ahead and saw the picture that Ted had given her for her birthday sitting on her desk. She knew when she saw him tonight she'd finally be able to put all this nonsense behind her. After five minutes with him, she'd remember why any of the thoughts she had just been having were clearly as laughable as she suspected them to be.

As she made her way down the stairs, she saw her father and mother sitting at the kitchen table splitting the Daily Prophet between them while Dominique sat quietly eating oatmeal and staring blankly out the window. She could see Louis's pajama covered legs sitting out from behind the refrigerator as he tucked himself away inside obviously looking for something.

"Morning, sweetheart," her mother said as Victoire sat down at the table and poured herself some pumpkin juice. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's always good to be back in my own bed."

"I think I prefer my school bed," Louis said as he emerged with some jam and sat down next to Dominique. "I think I'm taller than my bed is long now."

"I can put a stretching charm on your bed," her father suggested. "A few inches shouldn't hurt it."

"You have gotten much taller," her mother said. "You are as tall as your father now."

her father peeked over the paper at his son, as if he was trying to see if this was true. With Louis sitting though, it was impossible to tell.

"My robes are getting short of me as well," Louis added.

"Didn't we just get new robes?"

"That was me," Dominique said.

"And me," Victoire added.

"I haven't gotten any new robes since before fourth year," Louis said as he put jam on his toast.

"How come Lou got all the height?" Victoire asked. "I'm barely as tall as mum."

"You're at a perfectly average height," her mother said as she folded the paper over in front of her. She glanced at Dominique before she could speak up. "As are you."

"You girls got all the beauty," her father said.

"Hey, I resent that," Louis said with his mouth full.

"You're very pretty, too," he joked. Victoire and Dominique both laughed.

"Do you all have a lot of homework?" her mother asked, setting the newspaper aside.

"Mum, what they gave us should be illegal," Louis said, his face very serious. "I think you should write a letter to McGonagall."

"He's right, Mum," Dominique agreed. "I don't remember Vic getting this much work last year."

"I did," Victoire said. "And they both seem to forget that they've got O.W.L.s coming up."

"I've always thought the exam structure at Hogwarts was strange," her mother said as she took a bite of her eggs. "At Beauxbatons, we did it very differently. We didn't sit for exams until our sixth year."

"Is it too late to transfer?" Dominique asked.

"Oh, because it would be so much easier," Victoire said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. "You'd have to still do all the same stuff, just in French."

"I know French," she said matter-of-factly. "Fluently."

"You can't read it well enough to actually take lessons in it," Victoire said. "You know that."

"I could handle it just fine ,I think," said Dominique with a pensive expression.

Victoire helped herself to eggs. "You can barely get through the letters that Mama and Papa and Aunt Gabrielle send. You really think you could sit there and read an entire textbook in French?"

"Speaking of your aunt," her mother interrupted before her daughters could go at it, "we spoke the other day and she has invited you all down to Marseilles over the summer."

"Excellent," Dominique said, sitting forward. "For how long?"

"She did not say," she said. "But I told her I would talk to you all and see how you felt. She even said that she would love to take you to Paris for a week."

"Really?!" Victoire asked, her eyes lighting up. "Paris?!"

"Sign me up," Louis said with his mouth still full.

"Me too!" Dominique said.

"I will work out ze details with her," her mother said.

Louis and Dominique smiled at each other.

"It will be so good to see her," Victoire said. "And Mama and Papa."

"Well," her father said as he dropped the paper down. "Make sure you plan it so that they're home by the start of August."

"What's at the start of August?"

He smiled. "The Quidditch World Cup."

"We get to go!?" Dominique yelled, dropping her fork onto her plate.

"Since it is back in Britain," her father said. "The first time since 1994, so that's over twenty years. The committee had been so weary on bringing it back since the last World Cup here ended in such disaster and chaos, but Britain apparently made a good case and managed to get it back."

"Weren't you at the last one, Dad?" Louis asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Wow, I remember I was twenty-three. It was an incredible match, even though I've never been the biggest Quidditch fan around." He frowned. "Then afterwards-"

"Let's not talk about that over breakfast," her mother said with a silencing look.

"Okay, so wait," Dominique said. "We actually get to go? You've got tickets and everything?"

"I didn't," her father said. "Ginny's invited you. She said she's practically had tickets thrown at her down at work. She's invited us all, but I can't go because I'll be traveling with work, and your mother's not particularly interested in going. I thought I'd see if you three were interested though."

"Yes!" Dominique yelled. "A hundred times, yes!"

"What about you, Vicki?" he asked. "Lou?"

"Definitely for me," Louis said.

"Sure," Victoire said. "That will be a lot of fun. Who's playing in it?"

"They haven't even started play-ins yet," Dominique said as she glared at her. "They don't even start until June. We won't know who's made it to the finals until at least July."

"It won't matter who goes," her father said. "You'll have fun either way."

"Can I get a ticket for Jack?" Louis asked with a glance at Dominique. "He'd love to go, and there's no way his parents are going to get tickets because they're Muggles."

"You'll have to ask your aunt," her father said. "I don't see it being a problem, though. Between Ginny's position as a Quidditch reporter and Harry being Harry, the last thing anyone has to worry about is getting Quidditch tickets."

"I think he should get Victoire's ticket if we can't manage," Louis said.

Victoire made a face. "Hey…"

"You barely even like Quidditch," Dominique said.

"I like it enough to not give my ticket up."

"No one's giving up anything," her father said as he stood up and cleared his plate. "We'll manage. I'll ask Ginny to see how many she can get. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"I get to go to the World Cup," sang Dominique. "I get to go to the World Cup…"

"Victoire," her mother said as she ignored Dominique. "This came for you this morning." She held out a letter, which Victoire took. She didn't recognize the handwriting on the envelope, but tore into it and pulled out its contents.

_Victoire-_

_I hope your holiday is going well. I'm writing to let you know that I'm having a bit of a celebration tonight for my birthday (it's actually in a week, but we're celebrating before we got back to school). I would love it if you could come. No gifts or anything, just bring yourself and any of your friends if you'd like. The more the merrier. It's at the Dragon's Breath pub in Diagon Alley. I'm sure you've heard of it, it's not far from your uncle's store. We'll be there early and plan on staying until late, so stop by whenever. I hope you can come and I'm excited to see you._

_Stuart_

She read the letter over three times and smiled wider every time she read it. Stuart was inviting her out tonight to celebrate his birthday. She would have a chance to see him outside of a school setting entirely. Her mind started to drift to what she would wear, and she became so distracted that she didn't notice Dominique looking over her shoulder.

"Are you going to go?" she asked.

Victoire snatched the letter down and glared at her. "Probably."

"Do you still fancy him?"

"We're friends," she said as her mother suddenly started watching her. "He's invited me to his birthday outing, and as a friend, of course I'll go. He came to mine."

"I thought you had plans tonight with Ted?"

She blinked. She was right. She and Ted had made plans to hang out and catch up. They were supposed to see Simon, and she was supposed to meet Simon's new girlfriend.

"No worries," she said. "I'll just have them all meet me here at the pub and I can do both."

"Aren't you crafty," Louis said sarcastically.

"Which pub?" her mother asked.

"The Leaky Cauldron," Victoire said quickly before Dominique could say anything. She knew if she said she was going to the Dragon's Breath, her mother would say no. It wasn't a particular bad place, but she constantly seemed disturbed by its unclean nature and large crowds when ever they passed it in Diagon Alley.

"Oh," she said as she stood up and started cleaning up the table around them. Victoire looked at Dominique, who was staring at her suspiciously. She took the moment to stand up and leave to go upstairs.

"The Leaky Cauldron?" Dominique asked as she followed her sister.

"Shhhh…" she hissed as she beckoned her up the stairs. Once they were both in her room with the door shut, she turned to her. "You know she won't let me go if I tell her it's the Dragon's Breath. She thinks the place is filthy."

"Because it is," she said. "That's part of its charm."

"You and I know that, but she doesn't care. Instead of seeing it for the fun place that it is, she thinks it's a dump."

"So, you're just going to lie?"

"I want to go really bad." She glanced down at the letter once more.

Dominique rolled her eyes. "You obviously still do fancy Stuart, then."

"I'm not going to go and get piss drunk," she said. "I'm not even going to drink."

She stared at her.

"You're not going to tell mum and dad are you?"

"No," she said. "I don't care what you want to do. I just think it's stupid to lie over Stuart Reynolds."

"As if that's any worse than some of the lies you've told," Victoire said as her eyes narrowed.

"You're not in a position to be pointing out my faults at the moment," Dominique said, crossed her arms in front of her.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "You're right."

Dominique sighed and turned towards the door. "Just don't be stupid, Vic."

"I won't," she said with a smile before Dominique shook her head and walked out. She returned to her letter and read it once more, smiling widely as she realized in just a few hours, she'd be having the time of her life.


	17. Ripped in Half

"It's this way," Victoire said as she pointed down Diagon Alley towards the north end where the Dragon's Breath Pub was located. "It's just by my uncle's store."

Whit nodded as she followed her, barely able to keep up. It was almost as if Victoire had a spring in her step that was causing her to walk much faster than usual. She continued to find herself stopping and waiting for Whit to catch up on more than one occasion.

"Who else is going to be there?" Whit asked.

"Probably a bunch of people," Victoire said, brushing her hands on her clothes "He didn't say." She smiled at her. "Oh, but you'll finally get to meet Ted and my friend, Simon. He said they'd stop by later."

"That should be fun," Whit said as the wind blew through her hair.

"How do I look?" Victoire asked as they got closer to the pub.

She shrugged. "Perfect as usual."

"Seriously?" she asked as she started anxiously messing with her hair.

"Yes," she said with an annoyed sounding sigh. This wasn't the first time since they had arrived that Victoire had asked her how she looked. She couldn't help it though, she was nervous and excited. She also didn't want to look like a school girl walking into the pub for her first time, even though that's exactly what she was.

"So, what was Jack doing tonight?" Victoire asked.

"He left for Ireland to visit his grandparents," she said as they approached the front door of the pub. "And since his and his family travels the muggle way, I won't see him until school starts up again."

"Rotten luck," she said once they reached the pub. She opened the door and was immediately hit by the smell of pipe tobacco and stale alcohol, as well as an elaborate mixture of noises. She could hear everything from coughing to laughter to yelling, and even some crying. There were crowds of people, young and old alike standing everywhere. The pub was already quite dark, so it was hard to make out faces that were more that five feet away.

"It's quaint," Whit said sarcastically as a man who was missing an eye winked at the pair of them. They exchanged apprehensive glances.

"Let's check over here," Victoire said as she grabbed Whit's arm and started pulling her through the pub.

"Is that Tom Haines?" Whit asked as she pointed straight ahead.

"Yes," she said before she called out his name. "Tom! Hey Tom!"

He turned to look to see who was yelling his name and smiled when he recognized the pair of them "Hey!" he said as he walked over and hugged Victoire, lifting her off the ground. "What's up?"

"Nothing," she said. "Are you here with Stuart?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said as he nearly slopped half of his beer down the front of him. "Over here, follow me." He glanced at Whit. "Hi, Jane."

She half smiled. She seemed almost surprised to see that Tom was greeting her. "Hi."

He led them through the crowd and over towards a cluster of back tables where at least ten people Victoire recognized from school were laughing and yelling cheerfully. At the end, Stuart was sitting, drinking a pint, and laughing loudly at something Devon Whimbley was saying. She could hear his laugh all the way from where she was standing.

"Uh-oh," Whit said into Victoire's ear. "Look who's here."

Victoire didn't look very far. She had already noticed Colleen sitting in the center of the group and chatting with several people. She, in turn, seemed to be the first to notice the new arrivals as they approached the table.

"Victoire," Colleen said as she sat up straight and smiled at her. "What a lovely surprise."

"Colleen," she said with a forced smile.

"I had completely forgotten that you were even old enough to come in here," she said as several of the other's turned around and smiled at Victoire. "It's almost as if you'll always be that perpetual thirteen-year-old to me."

She smirked. "Well, thankfully I'm not."

"Victoire!" Stuart's voice said as she turned as she saw him. "You came!"

"Of course," she said, turning her full attention onto him as he hugged her. "I wouldn't miss it."

He smiled as he turned to Whit. "Hey Whit, how are you?"

"Good," she said. She again seemed taken by surprise by the sudden hug he gave her. "Thanks."

"I'm glad you both came," he said to Victoire with a sloppy smile. He seemed as if he'd already had a few drinks in him. "You look fantastic!"

"Thank you," she said as he turned and pointed towards the bar.

"You both want something to drink?"

"Oh, no," Whit said glancing at Victoire. "Do we?"

She shrugged. Not drinking in a pub would make them stick out like sore thumbs. Plus, Colleen would probably relish in the fact that she wasn't having a drink and use it as fuel to make her seem even younger.

"One pint wouldn't hurt," she said. "I mean, we are perfectly legal."

"Yeah, I guess," Whit said slowly. Stuart smiled and offered to go and get them for them, gesturing for them to have a seat before he left.

"Good, we need more girls," Devon said to the both of them once they sat. "It's like four girls and eight blokes. It was really starting to turn into a bit of a sausage fest."

"There are some really attractive girls sitting on the other side over there," Tom said as he pointed. "We could go and chat them up if you'd like. I'm game."

"Let's go," Devon said as he and Tom both stood up. Colleen suddenly laughed at them both.

"Those girls don't want anything to do with you two," she said. "There are plenty of acceptable non-school aged men here. What would they want with you?"

"Youthful vitality," Tom said with a goofy smile.

"If they're also looking for a poor lay," she continued. "I'm sure you're both right up their alley."

He threw her a dirty look. "Why are you such a bitch?" With that, he turned and walked off. Victoire grinned, but forced herself to look away so Colleen wouldn't notice.

"What was that about?" Stuart asked as he returned and placed two drinks down in front of Victoire and Whit and slid down the table towards where the conversation was. With Tom and Devon now gone, Stuart found himself directly next to Colleen.

"They're being stupid," Colleen said, smiling at him. "What else is new?"

"So, Colleen," Victoire said, wanting more than anything to get her eyes in any direction other than on Stuart. "Where's Aspeth and Penelope?"

"Aspeth couldn't come," she said. "Penelope's around here somewhere. I suspect she met a boy and is off with him."

"Surprise, surprise," Whit mumbled as she sipped her drink. Victoire smiled, but Colleen didn't seem to hear.

"I heard you and Jack Ians worked things out," Stuart said to Whit. "Good for you. You two seem good together."

"Yeah, we did," Whit said as she sat up straighter and cast a glance in Colleen's direction. "Turns out that whole Hogsmeade incident was a huge misunderstanding. Now things are better than ever."

"How sweet," Colleen said insincerely.

"It is," Victoire said, glaring at her. "It's funny how people attempt to just get in the way of other's happiness just out of bitterness and spite. I almost wonder if their lives are so sad that they have to make everyone else miserable so they're not the only ones. Do you know what I mean, Colleen?"

Colleen stared back at her, looking slightly challenged. Her expression seemed to be questioning whether or not she had just been accused of something, but before she had a chance to speak, Victoire shrugged and smiled. "But I suppose we'll never know who was really behind it all."

"Oh, I've already forgotten all about it," Whit said with a smile that matched Victoire.

"Well, I'm glad things worked out," Stuart said, oblivious to everything. "Jack's a good guy and one hell of a Beater."

Whit grinned as they carried on talking about Jack for a little longer. Victoire was actually impressed by Whit's ability to keep up with the Quidditch terminology that Stuart kept bringing up. It almost seemed like she'd been studying. Colleen had gotten bored of their conversation quickly and had already moved on to talking to Edward Long and Marcus Billingsly. Victoire couldn't help but notice that she kept touching Edward flirtatiously on the arm and hoped Stuart was noticing, too.

Over the course of the next hour, Victoire felt entranced by everything that was going on. Whenever Stuart smiled, she found herself smiling. Even when Colleen had rejoined their conversation, they didn't seem like anything more than old friends. Perhaps Whit had been right all along and that Victoire was making more out of this than it was. She wouldn't put it past herself. She was enjoying herself tremendously and it wasn't until Stuart asked her if she wanted another drink that she even noticed that she had finished her first. She barely remembered even drinking it.

"Oh," she said glancing at Whit's glass, which was still half full.

"Is that still your first?" Colleen asked with a slight slur. She was well past her first and the effects were starting to show.

"I don't really want another," Whit said. "My mum will kill me if I turn up back home half drunk."

"Would you even want to split one?" Victoire asked as she felt the tiniest effect from the alcohol. She didn't feel at all drunk, but instead felt happier than she had been when she had arrived. Although, that could be attributed to the good time she was having rather than the alcohol. At least that's what she was telling herself.

Whit shrugged. "Have another one and only drink what you want."

She turned back to an expectant Stuart. She smiled and nodded before he smiled back and turned towards the bar. When he returned with the same thing she had had before, she sipped it and suddenly just laughed.

"What's funny?" Whit whispered.

"Nothing," she said with another laugh. "I'm just in a really good mood. I have to use the loo, come with me."

Whit didn't hesitate and followed Victoire to the small toilet in the corner of the pub where they found themselves waiting in a short line to enter.

"I think things are going well," Victoire said as she practically bounced with excitement.

"I think everyone's getting pretty drunk," Whit said. "Stuart's definitely almost there."

"Did you see the way he was acting around me earlier?" Victoire asked, ignoring her. "You know, I think you were right. I really think he and Colleen may just be friends because he's not into her."

"He does seem especially flirtatious with you," Whit said as a small witch exited the toilet and left room for Victoire to enter. "But again Vic, remember he's been drinking."

"Do you really think he is flirting with me?" she asked as she chose to hear only what she wanted before running in to use the toilet.

Whit sighed heavily.

"You know," Victoire said as she reappeared a minute later. "I'm going to say something to him. Tonight."

"Are you?" she asked as they both started walking back towards the table.

She smiled. "I'm just feeling bold." She wasn't sure if this was a factor of the alcohol either, but it just felt right. She wanted to tell Stuart all about how she felt and how long she'd felt this way. About how she thought that they would be good together and how much she liked him.

"He's drunk," Whit reminded her again. "You have to take that into account."

"Oh, he's not that drunk," she said with a wave of her hand that nearly missed the head of an older woman who was walking by. She started to apologize right as someone grabbed her arm. She turned and saw a blonde, round faced boy smiling back at her.

"Are you even old enough to be in here?" Simon joked.

"Simon!" She hugged him excitedly. "How are you!?"

"Good," he said. "It's good to see you." He gestured to a dark haired girl sitting next to him. She was smiling and glancing between Victoire and Simon, anticipating an introduction. "This is my girlfriend, Susan."

"It's so nice to meet you," Victoire said as she shook her hand.

"You too," she said in a very pleasant American sounding voice. "I've heard quite a bit about you from Simon and Ted."

"Where is Ted?" Victoire asked, looking around.

"He ran up to the bar. He'll be right back."

Victoire turned and smiled at Whit. She was smiling at both Simon and Susan and waved awkwardly. "Hi, I'm Jane."

"Oh, where are my manners!?" Victoire said, suddenly realizing. "I'm so sorry. Simon, Susan, this is my friend Jane, or Whit as I call her."

"Whit?" Susan asked.

"My last name is Whitters," she said with a shrug.

"You were in Gobstones Club, weren't you?" Simon asked.

She laughed a little and blushed. "Yeah, for a bit."

"Yeah, I remember you," he said nodding before smiling at Susan. "All the cool kids did it."

"How long have you all been here?" Victoire asked.

"Not long," he said. "We walked in and found this table, so we grabbed it before we lost it. We were going to find you after."

"Good plan," she said, glancing to her right and immediately smiling as she noticed Ted making his way through the crowd. He was sporting his short brown hair, which she assumed meant that he'd just got off work.

"It's waaaay too crowded up there," he said as he squeezed through and placed several drinks down on the table. "This is why I never come here. You can never get a drink in under ten minutes."

"And that's on a good night," Simon said.

Ted looked up and smiled as he noticed Victoire. "And you picked this place…" he said with mock disappointment in his tone.

She laughed. "Oh, shut up," she said before she ran around the table and threw her arms around him for a hug.

"How have you been?" he said as he pulled away and looked her up and down. "You look good."

"You do, too," she said happily as she hugged him again. "I've missed you. It's been too long."

"Yeah," he said as he leaned against the table and continued to smile.

"Aren't they cute?" Victoire heard Simon telling Susan. "In a sweet little 'friends forever' sort of way."

"Aww, I've never seen Ted be sweet," Susan joked. "I didn't know he had it in him." Ted threw her an amused look.

"Oh!" Victoire said as she quickly walked back around the table and grabbed Whit to pull her back around. "Ted this is Whit. Whit this is Ted."

"Hi," he said. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Probably not as much as I've heard about you." She smiled.

"Hopefully good stuff." He looked at Victoire.

"Is there any other kind?" she asked with a silly smile.

He stared at her suspiciously. "Have you been drinking?"

"I'm old enough," she said defensively.

"That's not what I asked."

"Maybe a little."

"Maybe two pints," Whit said, nodding towards a half empty pint glass on the table.

"Oh, really?" He looked at the glass before turning back towards Victoire. "Planning on getting smashed then?"

"No." She shook her head. "No more after this one."

"Yeah…okay," he said with a sarcastic grin. "So, wait, why the change of plans to come here?"

Victoire glanced over her shoulder in the direction of Stuart. "It's a friend's birthday."

"Which friend?" he asked as he swigged his beer.

"Just a friend," she said looking away and crossing her arms.

"Oh, this should be good," he said as he seemed to read her body language. He turned towards Whit. "So, who is it?"

"Stuart Reynolds."

He groaned. "I should have known…" He made a face. "You're still…?" He rolled his eyes and turned towards Simon. "Hey Simon, guess who Victoire fancies?"

"Who?"

"Stuart Reynolds."

Simon made a face and started to laugh.

Victoire rolled her eyes at the both of them. "And how's your love life there, Ted?" she asked in an attempt to turn the tables on him.

"Pathetic," he said without missing a beat. "I work too much and I've pretty much forgotten what girls look like."

"Did you ever really know?" she asked. "I mean, we all saw Celia."

"Wow…" Simon said.

Ted pretended to look insulted before cracking a small smile. "That was cold, but I see how it is. I trash your boy and you take a piss at me. I can handle it."

"You were being mean," she said as she poked him playfully in his side. "All's fair in love and war."

"Well, perhaps I should attempt to turn my pathetic love life around," he said as he turned and glanced towards the bar. "There's a really cute girl up at the bar I was thinking about talking to, but knowing my luck she's dating some big bloke who could break me in half."

"Probably, but you'll never know if you don't try," she said in a sing song tone as she smiled at him. He stared at her for a moment before he started to laugh. She stared at him curiously. "What's so funny?"

"You," he said, shaking his head. "Drinking. You're funny."

She screwed up her face in a way that was halfway between a pout and looking insulted. It only made Ted laugh harder.

"Aww, in a cute way," he said. "Particularly that face you're making. Keep that up. I'm sure Reynolds will love it."

"You're not funny, Ted," she said, just as Whit laughed beside her. She turned and gave Whit a sharp look. "Don't encourage him."

"No, please do," he said, smiling brightly at her as he wrapped his arms around Victoire's shoulders and gave her a small squeeze. "Teasing her like this is one of the few reasons worth knowing her."

"The sad part is you probably mean that," she said looking straight up at him.

"Of course I do," he joked as he let go of her and turned towards the bar.

"Where are you going?" Simon asked.

"To get another," he said, gesturing to his half empty glass. "By the time I get served again, I'll be done."

"Make sure you talk to the cute girl," Victoire said. "Perhaps she can keep you out of my hair for a bit." She smirked. "That'd be nice!"

"You probably mean that," he called back.

"Of course I do," she mocked in the exact way he had just said it to her.

Victoire caught him smiling as he walked away, but turned to grin at Whit. "And that's Ted," she said obviously. "As you can see, we have a relationship based on ridiculing each other at any given opportunity. It's all in fun, though."

"I see that," she said as she smiled strangely. "You two are funny."

"And what did I tell you," she added, insinuating Whit's claims that she and Ted should be together. "We're hopeless, right?"

Whit merely continued to smile strangely before shrugging and looked away.

"Hey," Simon said as he tapped Victoire. "Isn't Ted a trip with his short hair? I almost didn't recognize him when I first saw him like that. He told you why he did it, right?"

"Because he went and caught his hair on fire," she teased.

"Yeah, he singed it," he said. "I mean he's constantly having stuff exploding all over him in the lab he says. I swear he walks around smelling of new substance every time I see him."

"We play the 'name that potion' game when he comes over," Susan said. "We try to guess what he's been working on that day just by giving his work robes a sniff. I've never been right."

"You know he actually changed his hair bright red the other day and grew it down past his shoulders," Simon said. "Just for a laugh. We went out to eat and it was almost odd to see him like that since it'd been so long. I keep telling him he needs to go back to it from time to time."

"Yeah," Victoire said, glancing in the direction that Ted had walked off in. "I sometimes miss the old goofy haircuts and colors that he used to surprise me with, but this way isn't so bad since it's only for work." She smiled. "It makes him look older or something, you know?"

"No, yeah, I do," he said. "So, hey, how's school going?"

"I'm ready for it to be over," she said as she sat down at the table. "Or for it to at least be my last year. Sixth year is just dragging."

"You say that now," he said, "but trust me, once you're done, you're going to wish you were back."

"Hardly." She laughed. "With the exception of maybe Potions and Ancient Runes I can't-" She stopped abruptly as she just so happened to cast a look in the direction of where her other party of friends were sitting.

"You can't what?" Susan asked as she, Simon, and Whit watched her.

Victoire didn't hear her. She just gaped at what she was currently witnessing as her body suddenly became hot and shaky. There, standing in the corner of the room with not one person standing in the way to block her view-as if she was meant to see it clear as day-were Stuart and Colleen wrapped up in each other's arms, kissing passionately.

So...this is what it felt like to have your heart ripped in half?


	18. A Moment of Change

"Are you okay, Vicki?" Simon asked. His face was growing concerned the longer he watched her.

"Are you going to be sick?" Whit asked as she placed a hand on Victoire's shoulder. "Perhaps you've had too much to drink."

Tears welled up in Victoire's eyes as she clenched her jaw and fists tightly. She felt as if she was going to be sick, all right. This time though, she knew it had absolutely nothing to do with the alcohol.

"Do you need some air?" Whit asked as she followed her gaze and finally realized what was going on. She rounded back on Victoire with her mouth agape. "Oh, no…Oh, no, no, no…"

"What's wrong?" Simon asked.

Victoire wasn't looking at Whit, but she had a feeling that she was silently trying to alert Simon and Susan of what was happening. Several moments later, Simon let out a long and low, "Ohhhhhhh…"

"He's a prat," Whit said quickly. "A wretched prat who is piss drunk and probably doesn't even realize what he's putting his lips on."

"Yeah, really," Simon said, giving Victoire a sympathetic look. "He's a little shit."

"I need some air," Victoire said. She jumped out of her chair and headed straight for the door. A few tears fell down her face as she pushed the front door open and was greeted by the cool air. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. She was so stupid. So stupid to have let herself fall so far. She had been right all along and now she couldn't believe that she had ever let herself even fancy him. She hated him.

"Victoire," Whit said, catching up to her. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm such an idiot," she said a little louder than usual as she wiped tears off of her cheek. She didn't really feel sad, just angry. Angry at Stuart, angry at Colleen, but mostly angry at herself.

"You aren't," Whit said, shaking her head. "You couldn't have known. He's an idiot who led you on."

"I'm such an idiot," she repeated.

"He's drunk," Whit said. "Not that that's an excuse, but people don't always do things they mean to when they're drunk-"

"I don't care," she said. "I'm disgusted by him. I can't believe I ever…" She clenched her fists and just let out a small scream. A family walking by stopped briefly and gawked at her.

"Get it out," Whit encouraged. "It's healthier this way."

She started shaking her head. "I just can't believe I let myself-"

"You couldn't have known," Whit said, stepping forward to hug her. "You told me once that it was better this way. Remember on your birthday? At least you found this out now because you know Colleen would never have stopped trying."

"Tramp," she mumbled into Whit's shoulder.

"We know that," she said as she pulled back and looked Victoire in the eyes. "Do you want to go? We can go back to my house if you'd like and you can calm down."

"No," she said adamantly. "No, I'm not going to be run out of there because of them. My friends are in there and I made them come here. No, I'm going to go and visit with them."

"Are you sure?" she asked, but Victoire had already started marching back towards the pub.

"Yes. I'm not going to let her and him…Uggg!" She pushed the door to the pub open in a ferocious manner. Several people turned to stare at her and one group of older men suddenly cheered her enthusiasm. She ignored them and walked right back over to where Simon and Susan were sitting.

"Hi," Susan said softly once she noticed her. Simon had obviously filled her in on all the details while they had been outside because her face was now completely filled with sympathy.

"Are you feeling better?" Simon asked.

"I'm fine," she said with a fake smile. "I just want to have a good time with you all."

"That's the spirit," he said as he stood up. "I'm getting some drinks, can I buy you something?"

"Oh," Whit began. "We weren't going to have anything else-"

Victoire cut her off. "Yes, please. Anything, surprise me."

Whit stared at her. "Victoire…"

"I just want to forget about THAT." She pointed in the direction of what she had seen earlier, but didn't dare to look. "I'll be fine. It's one more."

Whit looked concerned, but said nothing else. Victoire was thankful for this as she started absently listening to a story that Susan was telling them about a boy she had known while she was in school that reminded her of Victoire's situation. It quickly turned into a bit of a male bashing session until Simon returned and put an end to all of that.

"We're not all bad," he said as he slid a shot of something green towards Victoire. "For you. It'll take the edge off."

She stared at it. She had no idea what it was, but for some reason the small glass looked warm and inviting. A feeling she was desperately craving at the moment.

"Oh, are you really going to take that-?" Whit said before Victoire took the glass and downed the shot in one gulp. It burned on the way down, but after a quick moment, she felt especially warm. She coughed and shook herself out once the aftertaste hit her.

"Thank you," she said to Simon as she glanced around and noticed that Ted had been missing for some time now. "Where did Ted go?"

"He took your advice, I suppose," Simon said. "He was talking to that girl up at the bar."

"I haven't seen him in months and he's off talking to some girl?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"Well," Whit said tentatively. "Not to bring up the subject again, but you did ask them to come here because you wanted to see-" she hesitated and glanced in the direction towards Stuart, "I'll call him he-who-shall-not-be-named."

"That's different," she muttered. "And I'm not over there talking to him am I? I'm over here."

"That's because you saw him snog-" Simon began before there was a thump under the table. He stopped speaking. Susan was staring at him wearily.

"So, tell me all about the Ministry!" Victoire said in an attempt to change the subject. "I want to know all about these ridiculous robes I've heard about."

"They're not that bad," he said with an amused smile before he started to tell her all about life in the Department of Magical Transportation. Every word he said, Victoire found herself paying extreme attention to, as if it was the most important thing in the world. She was nodding animatedly as he spoke until he finally took notice and stopped.

"Are you okay?" he asked skeptically. "You seem sort of glassy eyed."

"I'm fine," she said, almost falling off of her stool as she said it. Whit managed to catch her and balance her just in time.

"Nothing more to drink for her," Whit said.

"I'm fine," she repeated as she waved her hand. "Honestly, fine."

"Perhaps that shot wasn't such a good idea," Susan said.

"She's not hurting anyone," Simon said. "It's not as if we're going to let her run off on her own. Plus, I'm sure you feel better, right?"

"I do," she said with a goofy smile.

Simon smiled before turning to Whit. "So, how'd you and Vicki become friendly?"

"Oh," she said, looking at Victoire. "Well, we've always been in the same year together, and this year we just started hanging out more and more. We found out we had a lot in common and it sort of grew from there."

"We do," Victoire said, nodding quickly. "She's fantastic!"

"I'm sure," Simonsaid before he turned back to Whit. "I'm glad to see her hanging out with people other than her old set of friends. They were a nightmare."

"Are a nightmare!" Victoire corrected. "Oh! You'd never believe what that stupid tramp Colleen Lynch did to her."

"What happened?" he asked. Victoire proceeded to tell him and Susan all about the note and the Hogsmeade fiasco, though she seemed fuzzy on the details and kept slipping up the story. Whit volunteered to tell the ending.

"And this is the same girl over there?" Susan asked, pointing towards her. "She sounds horrible."

"She is horrible!" Victoire said as she folded her arms so quickly across her chest that she actually fell off her stool this time. Both Whit and Simon jumped up to help her.

"I'm okay." She laughed. "I'm fine."

"Perhaps we should go," Whit said as she pulled her up.

"No," she said as she checked her watch. "It's only a little after nine o'clock or something. I never get to see Simon!"

"That's okay," he said. "You're home for a few more days, right? We can hang out then. Perhaps on a night where you don't have to witness something so disheartening and we can have some real fun."

"I'm fine," she repeated.

"I can see that," Whit said before she took Victoire's arm and began to lead her away. She looked at Simon. "I'm going to take her outside, but will you do me a favor and let Ted know we're leaving. I don't want to be rude."

He nodded and Whit led Victoire through the pub and outside into the night. She let go of her once they were in the open space of the street, and Victoire closed her eyes as she suddenly felt a little dizzy. She quickly found the curb and sat down.

"Are you okay?" Whit asked as she sat down beside her.

"I just don't feel so well all of the sudden." She put her head between her knees. "I didn't even drink that much."

"You never drink," she said as the door to the pub opened once more and Ted appeared. "Even the little bit is a lot."

"You're leaving?" he asked before he got a good look at her. Once he noticed her sitting there with her head between her knees, he knelt down beside her. "How much did she drink?"

"Just the two pints and a shot of something," Whit said. "The shot is what did it, though."

He laughed a little. "Well, that'll get you every time."

"It made me feel better," she said without looking up. "Until now that is."

"Feel better about what?" he asked as Victoire heard Whit take a deep breath.

"She saw Stuart Reynolds and Colleen Lynch sort of snogging…Heavily. She got upset."

"Oh, bloody hell," he muttered. "Vic, I'm sorry."

"He's a prat and she's a whore," she said, still not looking up.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. She could feel him standing up.

"It wouldn't have changed anything," she mumbled.

"You can't let her go home like this," he said. "Her parents will go ballistic if she turns up in this state." He paused. "Here, will you watch her for a second. I'll be right back."

Victoire finally looked up. The dizzy feeling had passed for the moment and she suddenly just felt very sad again as she thought about Stuart and how stupid she was.

"Feeling any better?" Whit asked as she sat back down next to her.

"A little," she said, just before the door to the pub opened once more and Colleen and Penelope poured out giggling about something. It took them a moment to notice Victoire and Whit sitting on the curb.

"Oh, hi!" Penelope said, clearly drunk. "How are you?"

"I'd thought you'd left," Colleen said as she almost tripped on a cobblestone in the street. Victoire could feel Whit's hand tighten around his wrist. She wasn't sure if it was a gesture of solidarity or rather an attempt to keep her from jumping up and cursing Colleen where she stood.

"Come on," Penelope said, trying to pull Colleen away. "We can't talk about it here and I want to hear all the details."

Colleen smiled at Victoire as she heard this. Victoire felt her blood boil and made a motion to stand up, but Whit pulled her back before she actually could. The door to the pub quickly opened once more as Ted reappeared and nearly knocked Colleen over where she stood. He peeked around the door and began to apologize until he realized who it was.

"Oh, nevermind," he mumbled.

"Ted Lupin?" Colleen asked with a laugh as she stared at him. "Is that you?"

He gave her a disinterested look and walked towards Victoire and Whit.

"Damn," she said. "You look different without your hair being blue or green or whatever ridiculous color you'd make it." She laughed. "You actually almost look normal."

"Wish I could say the same for you." He knelt back down towards Victoire. "You still look as trashy as ever."

She stopped and stared at him. Victoire let out a short laugh.

She turned to walk away. "Still a freak, I see."

"And you're still a slut," he said casually. "Some things never change."

She stopped to exchange some more words with him, but Penelope was pulling her down the street. She relented and kept walking, but Victoire could hear them laughing as they left.

"Good riddance," he mumbled as he turned back to the girls in front of him. 'You know, they're in for a rude awakening one of these days."

"You really think so?" Victoire asked, looking up at him.

"I know so." He reached out a hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Where are we going?" she asked as she felt her eyelids get heavy.

"You can come and sober up a bit at my place," he said. "We can't send you home like this."

"You don't have to leave on account of me," she said. "I thought you met some girl or something."

"Don't worry about me."

"I don't want to ruin your night. I'd hate to be to blame for-"

"You worry too much." He shook his head and turned towards Whit. "Do you want to come? I live just down there."

"Yeah, I'll help get her there," she said as the three of them began walking down the street towards Ted's place. This was something that Victoire seemed quite amused by.

"I get to finally see it!" she said as she smiled. "Finally see how you're living on your own!"

"It's really nothing special," he said.

"Well, it's something," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm very proud, Ted."

"Right…" He smiled as they appeared before a building where he stopped and held the door open for the both of them. Whit helped Victoire up the stairs until they reached the landing where Ted claimed to live. "It's right here." He stepped in front of them and opened the door with his wand. "Again, it's really nothing special." He pointed his wand inside and light instantly filled the room as the girls stepped in. It wasn't large, but it wasn't small either. Surprisingly enough, it was quite neat. He had a small kitchen area immediately to the right of the door and his living room contained a sofa, a chair, and a small table. The furniture was pushed towards one side of the room and arranged in a cramped manner due to a large work bench that was taking up the majority of the back wall. It was covered with papers and storage racks fill with various glass vials that contained strange liquids and potions. It seemed like Ted often brought his work home with him.

"Make yourself at home," Ted said as both Victoire and Whit looked around. Whit went straight over to sit on the sofa, but Victoire continued to explore.

"It's cozy," she said.

"I try."

Victoire wandered in further and pushed open a door to reveal his bedroom. It was a much smaller room and essentially had a bed sitting in the corner against the window. The remaining space was filled with a small chest and a chair with clothes thrown all over it. "I'm impressed," she said.

"By all of my nothingness?" he joked as he joined her and watched as she observed his bedroom.

She shrugged and turned to walk back into the living room where she sat down next to Whit on the sofa. She immediately leaned her head back and could feel her eyelids getting heavier and heavier. The only thing that kept her alert was a sudden strange tapping noise.

"What's that noise?" she asked with a quick looked around.

"Oh," Ted said as he glanced at the window and started crossing the room towards it. "I wonder how long he's been out there."

"What a pretty owl," Whit said as Ted opened his window and let a large snow owl hop inside. "Is he yours?"

"Yeah," Ted said as he detached the letter from the owl's leg and then watched as it flew over to its cage to drink some water.

"It's really beautiful," she said. "Is it a male or a female?"

"A male," he said absently as he started to read his letter. "His name's Auggie."

"How come you didn't send him with any of your letters when you wrote?" Victoire asked. She looked at Ted. "You always used standard post owls."

"He's getting older," he said once he finished reading whatever he had been sent and dropped the letter on his desk. "The trip to Hogwarts wears on him. It's easier to send the younger post owls." He reached down to pet him, but Auggie snapped in an annoyed manner and Ted retracted his fingers immediately. "He's not dumb though, but as you can see he's getting grouchy because he's a crotchety old geezer." Auggie snapped again and Ted smiled. "Still, I wouldn't trade him for the world."

Victoire smiled as Whit laughed a little and stood up. She walked across the room to where Ted had several picture frames propped up at the end of his work bench. She started to examine them, noticing that Ted was observing her. "Sorry, I'm nosy," she said.

"By all means," he said as he looked around the living room. "I don't have much to offer as far as entertainment's concerned, so whatever you find."

"Ever thought of decorating?" Victoire asked just as Ted circled the couch and sat next to her. "You know, make the place a bit more cheerful. A little paint perhaps?"

"I've thought about it plenty," he said. "Now ask me if I ever have the time."

"You have to have some time."

"I don't think you realize how much I work."

"Who are these kids?" Whit asked. She turned around and flashed a picture towards Ted and Victoire.

"Oh, those are my godfather's kids," he said. He shifted himself on the couch to look in her direction.

"Harry Potter's your godfather, right?"

Ted looked at Victoire before looking back at her. "Yeah."

"They're cute," she said, pointing at them. "This one on the end here is a first-year at school, right?"

"Let me see," Victoire said before Whit handed it to her. "That's James."

"Yeah, he's at Hogwarts now," Ted said as he leaned closer to it to get a better look. "This picture is a few years old so he's grown a lot."

"And that's Lily and that's Albus," Victoire said with a smile as she handed the picture back.

"They're all but my brothers and sister," he added with a warm smile.

Victoire suddenly realized her eyelids were fighting a winning battle against staying open. She was forcing herself to stay awake, but wasn't succeeding. She leaned her head to the side and found Ted's shoulder.

"You all right?" he asked and he looked down at her.

"I'm just really tired." She closed her eyes.

"Go lie down, then." He pointed to his room. "I'll wake you in a bit."

She opened her eyes and squinted up at him. "Are you sure?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't bother me."

She thought this sounded like the best idea that she'd heard all night and stood before walking straight into his room. She couldn't actually remember her head hitting the pillow or falling asleep. She was almost convinced that she had fallen asleep on her walk there.

"Hey," she heard a voice say as someone shook her. "Wake up."

She opened her eyes slowly and recoiled from the light. Why was it so bright? She felt extremely groggy and she had somehow wedged herself snuggly between the wall and edge of the bed. She also wasn't exactly sure where she was until she turned over and saw Ted sitting next to her on the edge of the bed staring at her.

"Good morning, sunshine." He smirked.

"It's morning?"

"I'm kidding. You've only been in here for a little over an hour."

"Oh," she said as her head throbbed. "I'm never drinking again."

He smiled and held out a glass with a strange brown looking liquid in it. It looked like stale sewage water. "Drink this."

"What is that?" she asked, looking horrified at the prospect of putting whatever it was in her body.

"It'll make you feel better," he said. "Trust me. I learned it at the hospital."

"Can I just have some water?"

"This will do more than water will," he said.

She took it from him and sniffed it. It smelled worse than stale sewage water. "This is horrible. Are you trying to kill me?"

"Clearly," he joked as he leaned back against his headboard and watched her. "Trust me, you'll thank me later."

She glared at him and grumbled, but plugged her nose and attempted to drink it. She had to stop to cough and gag several times, but after four attempts she managed to get the entire thing down. She wasn't sure it would stay down, however.

"What will that do?" she managed to croak once the horrible aftertaste hit her.

"Have you ever had Pepper-Up Potion?" he asked."It's sort of like that except it works against the alcohol in your body. It'll completely sober you up over the course of the next few minutes."

"It's horrible." She grumpily plopped her head back down on the bed.

"It's better than what your parents will do to you if you show up back home smashed."

She couldn't deny that he made a good point. "Is Whit…?" she began before she noticed that he had brought a bag of crisps from somewhere. She propped herself up on her elbows and helped herself to some. "Is she still here?"

"She left not too long ago," he said, waiting for her to get her hand out his bag so that he could continue eating. "We talked about you for a little bit. I like her. She's nice."

"Schow du I ," she said with her mouth full after having stuffed a handful of crisps in there at one. She was desperate to get the horrible taste out of her mouth and was a little overzealous with the amount.

"Come again?" he asked, watching her with great amusement. "I'm sorry, I don't speak that language."

She laughed and covered her mouth to keep herself from spitting crumbs out. She began trying to chew faster so that she could swallow and actually speak. Ted sat there smirking at her, waited expectantly for her to finish. The more he looked at her like that, the more she continued to laugh.

"Don't choke," he said as she started to turn red from holding her laughter in.

She finally swallowed and swatted him. "I said 'so do I'." She caught her breath. "I like her too."

"Ohhh, was that all?" he asked. "Here I thought you were attempting Mermish."

"You're a prat," she said as she laughed and lay back down.

"You know," he said, "she told me she's dating Jack Ians. I forgot he wasn't twelve still."

"Yeah, funny how kids have a crazy habit of growing up isn't it?" she said sarcastically.

"Isn't it?" He adjusted the way he was sitting and stretched his legs out on the bed. "I swear James being at Hogwarts blows my mind. Every time I go over to the house to visit, I have to stop myself from asking Harry and Ginny where he is."

Victoire smiled until her stomach gave a terrible start that made her wonder if she was going to be sick. "How long until this stuff starts working?"

"Soon." He looked down at her. "I've taken it a few times myself and I've always seen it work fairly quickly. It depends on how much you've had to drink."

"I hope so," she said softly as she looked up at the ceiling. "It's really hot in here."

"Because you've been drinking."

She sat up and pulled her sweater off and threw it towards the foot of the bed. She straightened her t-shirt out before lying back down and craning her next up to look at Ted. He was watching her, but he abruptly focused on the bag in his hand once their eyes met.

"Thanks by the way," she said. "For everything."

"Oh," he said as he found himself particularly interested in studying the bottom of the crisp bag. "Yeah, whatever."

She smiled and continued to watch him. He had gone out of his way tonight to make sure she was okay and that she wouldn't get in trouble. He'd left his own plans, his own potential chance at hitting it off with a girl, and his own fun to make sure she was taken care of. There weren't too many people she could trust to do that.

"So, some shit night for you, huh?" he asked suddenly.

"It's been horrible," she said, staring straight up at the ceiling once more. "Simon's girlfriend probably thinks I'm completely mental."

"Probably," he said with his mouth full, "but she had to find that out sometime."

"Go easy on me, I've had a rough night." She punched him playfully in the leg. He squirmed out of the way to avoid her fist and nearly fell off the bed in the process. They both laughed, but Victoire particularly found herself in hysterics once more. "Ow, my stomach hurts," she groaned through her laughter as she turned over onto her side and faced the wall away from Ted. "Don't make me laugh."

"Then don't punch me!" he exclaimed as he tried to work the laughter out of his own system. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Hey, are you going to the Quidditch World Cup?"

"Yes, I think so," she said. "Are you?"

"Of course I am," he said. "You really think I wouldn't?"

"I don't know." She turned back towards him. "You're always so busy."

"Yeah, but things are getting better," he said, crumbling up the empty bag and throwing it towards the rubbish bin. He missed.

"Nice shot," she teased.

"Nobody likes a smartarse," he said. He pointed his wand towards the bag and lifted it neatly into the trash.

"I can't help it," she said. "You make it so easy."

"Well, it takes one to know one." He suddenly laughed at his own dumb joke, and Victoire laughed more at his poor attempt than anything else, but stopped shortly afterwards once she found herself staring up at him. From this angle, Ted almost looked like a different person. Then again, she'd been thinking that about him for the last few months. She didn't know if it was the shorter hair or the way he carried himself or what it was, but it was different. It was good. It was a very attractive quality…

It was in that instant that it happened. In a flash of a moment, she had found herself actually attracted to Ted. It happened so quickly that she wondered if she just imagined it because she'd been drinking. She couldn't deny that she was having fun just laying here talking to him, joking with him, being with him…But this wasn't the usual feeling she got from being around Ted. This was different. She looked away briefly before turning back to look at him once more to see if the feeling would disappear. It didn't.

"What's wrong?" he asked. With all her sudden realizations, she hadn't noticed that he was staring at her.

"I…I'm apparently still very drunk," she said bluntly before she turned away to face the wall once more. Looking at the wall was safe. You couldn't be attracted to a wall.

He laughed a little. "Just wait for the potion to take its full effect. You'll be fine."

She nodded, but didn't look at him. She sure hoped she would be fine. Her mind was now swimming. She was torn between a strong-and hopefully alcohol driven-desire to just turn over and kiss him, versus a small part of her mind that was starting to sober up and think rationally. This was Ted. She had to keep telling herself that.

"You're not feeling worse are you?" he asked.

"No, my stomach's feeling better," she said. "But I still feel drowsy. It's hard to think straight."

He made a noncommittal noise, but didn't say anything. They were both quiet for a long while.

"Hey Ted?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember when we were kids and you swore in front of your grandmother and she started screaming at you?"

"When she bewitched the bar of soap to follow me around and scrub my mouth out?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I do. I can't even smell that stuff without wanting to be sick." He pulled his knees towards him and started absently picking at his thumb nail. "What made you think of that?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "It just popped into my head. I've been thinking about a lot of random memories of us lately. Remember the time we set fireworks off in my room?"

"And you still have that mark on your ceiling," he said. "That was the dumbest thing we ever did."

She turned back over and faced him. "But it's still a really good memory."

"We've got a lot of those," he said without looking at her.

"We really do," she said as she continued to think about that. "Remember when you got mad at me when I kissed you?"

He glanced at her. "You mean assaulted me, and yes. I still have the scars."

"Assaulted you?" She laughed as she propped herself up on her elbows again and gawked at him. "And what scars?"

"The emotional ones," he said with an amused grin. "And you pinned me on the ground. I think that constitutes assault in many cases. I mean, don't get me wrong, your aggressiveness is something I appreciate in girls nowadays." He smiled as he went back to focusing on his thumb nail. "I actually enjoy it, but back then, it was quite scary."

"Oh, you're so over dramatic." She rolled her eyes and laughed at him. "I was just curious what it was like, and you of all people know I was a very curious child." She sighed and her smile slowly disappeared as she thought about the night's events. "I should have known then that every boy I ended up kissing after that would be just as much drama."

"Well, you do deserve much better than a little wanker like Stuart Reynolds."

"Do you think so?" she asked as she glanced at him.

He laughed a little and gave her a strange look. "Of course I think so. What kind of stupid question is that? You know you do."

"Obviously I didn't know if I kept trying so hard to go after him," she said, still frowning.

"Well, you are," he said as he dropped his hand down onto the bed and leaned his head back. "I mean, Vic, you're a beautiful girl who's smart and has a lot going for her. Once you learn to get past fancying these idiots-"

"Do you really think I'm beautiful?" she asked abruptly. Just hearing the words come out of his mouth made her heart beat faster.

"You know you are," he said without looking at her. "You know all these things I'm telling you."

She smiled; the internal struggle in her head still waging on as she continued to watch him. Hearing him talk about her being beautiful gave the drunk and hormonal part of her mind a quick edge over the rational, normal side that was telling her to get up and walk away before she did something she might regret come morning.

He glanced at her. "You're being weird," he said with an awkward laugh.

"Am I?" she asked in all seriousness.

"A little," he said as they both stared at each other. The moment seemed longer than what was usually considered comfortable, but for some reason Victoire didn't want to look away. There was something in his face that made her curious about what he was thinking and whether or not he was thinking thoughts similar to the ones she was having. But that couldn't be possible, could it?

Ted broke and turned away first, glancing down at his finger once more. She awkwardly looked away as well. What had that been all about? She knew if that had been any other boy she would have kissed him and yet, the strange part was that she almost felt that he would have kissed her back. Almost. She wasn't convinced. The alcohol was screwing with her ability to read the situation properly.

"I should go," she said suddenly.

"Yeah," he said as he stood so that Victoire could climb out. "Are you okay to…uh, you know?"

"Apparate?"

"Yeah," he said, avoiding her eyes. "You're okay to do that?"

"I think so." She nodded quickly, even though she wasn't quite sure she was. Apparting after drinking was generally frowned upon due to the fact that most people didn't end up at their intended destinations.

"Okay," he said. "I guess I'll see you later, then."

"Of course." She stepped forward to give him a hug. It was an awkward hug and reminded her of the days when Celia used to be nearby watching them. When she pulled away, she realized that she was the one who had to leave and clumsily reached for her wand. As she pulled it out, something inside of her felt quite bold. Whatever it was, it was telling her to say something. He was standing right there.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked.

He stared at her. He didn't say yes or no, but just stared at her. She took that to mean that she could.

"Have you ever wondered why you and…?" She trailed off before stopping completely. She wanted to ask if he'd ever thought about the possibility of them being together, but she wasn't sure how to finish that sentence. She wasn't sure if she should finish that sentence.

"Why I, what?"

"You know," she said, shaking her head, "nevermind. Goodnight."

"Night," he said before she disappeared with a small pop and moments later found herself standing outside of her house with the sea breeze whipping against her. She wasn't sure if it was because of what she came close to doing, or because the potion had in fact worked, but she suddenly felt very sober.


	19. Dinner and Darkness

Two days had passed since the encounter at the Dragon's Breath Pub and Victoire was happy to put it behind her. The emotional ride of a night was something she was hoping would one day be an amusing anecdote. Not today of course, but one day.

She had arrived back that night to her father and brother sitting up in the living room playing cards and listening to the Wireless. Her mother had thankfully gone to bed; something that had immediately relieved Victoire upon walking into the room. Her mother had an amazing knack-as most mothers probably did-to sniff out a lie or anything that was out of sorts. One the flip side, her father happened to be far more good-natured and trusting when it came to her. Not that she made a habit of lying to him, but he never passed much blame onto her no matter the situation. She could be standing over a murder victim with her wand pointed directly at the body and somehow she could still manage to convince him it wasn't she who had done it. He trusted her explicitly.

She had smiled at her brother and father as she came through the front door, hoping that she wasn't giving anything away in her demeanor. She didn't feel at all drunk anymore, but she still couldn't help but wonder if her guilt was written all over her face. Her father smiled and asked if she had had a good night, to which she answered she had without getting too close. She immediately said she was tired and headed straight to sleep, but she couldn't help but let her gaze drift to Louis before exiting the room. He was eyeing her skeptically, and she knew in that instant that he knew something was up. The next morning, his subtle tiptoeing around the subject reaffirmed her suspicions, though it was confirmed until she finally came out and asked him if she had been that obvious.

"Your smile was way too wide and fake," he had said to her. "And you had this urgency to get out of the room. I figured it was because you didn't want Dad to realize you'd been drinking."

She stared at him, her eyes heavy and bag ridden from the poor night's sleep she had received the night before.

"So, you had a drink," he said with a shrug before strolling out of her room. "You're of age, and Dad wasn't going to flip over one drink. Mum though, now that's a different story..."

She was already tuning him out before he had finished leaving the room. So she hadn't seemed drunk, she had just seemed suspicious. That's how Louis had figured her out. If only he'd known it had been more than one drink, she was sure he'd be saying something else entirely. That was something she chose not to reveal to him at the moment. She'd suffered enough last night. Taunts and lectures from her younger brother were the last thing she needed to hear.

The events that had occurred that night hadn't been the only thing nagging at her since that evening. In fact, after realizing that she had barely escaped a potential curse from her parents, she gave little thought to the night...with the exception of one big thing. Sure, the occasional flash of Colleen kissing Stuart would fly through her thoughts and she would become annoyed, but the hurt and the anger she had felt after witnessing it were now gone. They had been replaced by pity and irritation on Colleen's part, and nothing more than indifference on Stuart's-with a little bitterness thrown in for having wasted so much time on him.

No, it wasn't that that was troubling her. The thought that she couldn't shake now was how things had been with Ted at his flat. The way she had felt sitting there in his room with him wasn't something familiar to her. She was confused. She was beyond confused. Had she just been drunk and out of her head after having her heart broken that she was looking for things in Ted that weren't really there? Or were they really there and she was just trying to deny them?

She thought she had felt something for him that night, but was she sure? Her conversation with Whit in their dorm room before the holidays and her random thoughts about him that very day was enough to let her mind play tricks on her, especially after drinking. Still, it had felt so real. Her desire to kiss him had seemed as real as it could have when she thought about it.

"Wait, what!?" Whit had said the following day as Victoire relayed this information to her and told her about everything that had happened.

"I know," she said heavily as the pair sat on the cliff rocks by her house and stared out at the sea. "I'm blaming you for putting all this in my head."

"I knew it!" she said with a laugh of disbelief. "So, you really think you feel something?"

"I don't know what I think," she mumbled. "I could have easily been drunk and looking for something that isn't really there."

"This is true."

"But I just have this feeling that I wasn't," she continued. "I just feel like something changed for me last night. I see him differently. Even thinking about him now is different." She sighed. "Everything's different."

"Do you think he might…?" she began before Victoire shot her a look.

"I don't even want to think about that yet," she said. "I've got to work my own feelings out before I start worrying about his, or whether or not I plan on doing anything about mine"

Trying to work out her feelings and attempting to figure out if they were genuine or not was how she now spent the following two days. Her homework was piling up and untouched because of how little she could focus on anything else. One minute she had convinced herself that she was confusing her platonic feelings as something more and the next, she was wondering what it would be like if they were together. If they kissed…If they...

"Oh, how wonderful it is to see you all!" said a voice that snapped Victoire back into her current thought and made her remember where she was.

"Good to see you too, Mum," Bill said after he hugged his mother and stood aside so that the rest of the family could file inside the house she shared with Victoire's grandfather.

"I 'ave brought a soufflé, Molly," Fleur said as she presented a large rectangular serving dish to her mother-in-law.

"That will be lovely," Molly said, shutting the door after they had entered and pushing her graying hair out of her face. She looked Victoire and her siblings up and down and smiled broadly. "So grown up! Louis, you look more and more like your father everyday! And you two girls, I don't know how you keep getting prettier, but you both manage."

They all smiled at her. No one handed out compliments and meant them quite like their grandmother.

"I'm just so happy we could get everyone here," she said as she rushed about the kitchen pointing her wand at various pots. "It's been so long since we've had a big family dinner what with everyone off and about and the kids being in school." She paused and sighed. "Soon all the little ones will be off to Hogwarts and it will be next to impossible to get everyone together."

"As is life," Bill said, glancing towards the back door as it opened.

"Boys will be boys, Hermione," Ron said with a laugh as he and his wife entered and noticed the new guests who had arrived. They both broke into large welcoming smiles.

"Hi everyone," Hermione said. She reached up and tied her long bushy hair back into a pony tail before stepping forward to hug everyone. "How good to see you."

"It's been ages," Ron said, hugging his brother and then Fleur before turning towards his nieces and nephew. "You three look like completely different people."

"Louis you've had to have grown a foot since we last saw you," Hermione said as her and Ron's gazes matched up Victoire and Dominique.

"And you," Ron said pointing to Victoire, "are your mother's clone."

"I was just thinking that," Hermione said with a smile towards him before her eyes lit up as if remembering something. "Oh right, Molly, do you have any more of that ointment potion for cuts and bruises?"

"Who hurt themselves?" Molly asked in an alarmed manner as she swung around.

"The boys were playing rough," Ron said, avoiding Hermione's eyes. "Hugo, of course, thinks he can match up against James in a wrestling match because he's going through a stage where he apparently believes he's very tall and built like a boulder. He's forgetting that he's not either of those things since he's only eight."

Hermione smirked even though she was trying not to.

"Anyway," he continued, "James won and Hugo banged up his knees. Even though he's out there claiming he's fine, Hermione thinks he needs to be treated."

"I'd rather not have him bloodying up the dinner table," Hermione quipped as Molly handed her the potion. She smiled at her husband before turning and heading back outside.

Victoire followed her and the rest of the group outside, though it wasn't until she entered the back garden and was confronted by her entire family that she realized how large it truly was these days. Her father was the eldest of seven children. Her Uncle Fred had died before she was born, but the others were all here today and they had all brought their families. Being the children of the oldest son, Victoire, Dominique, and Louis also happened to be the oldest of the cousins. After that, according to birth order of her father's siblings, was their Uncle Charlie, who always swore he was too busy with work to settle down-much to the dismay of his mother. Next, Uncle Percy and his wife Audrey had two children-nine-year-old Lucy and thirteen-year-old Molly, who was currently a third-year Ravenclaw at Hogwarts. Following Percy was their Uncle George and his wife Angelina with their two children, nine-year-old Fred and seven-year-old Roxanne. Next were Ron and Hermione and their kids Rose and Hugo, who were ten and eight respectively. Lastly was Ginny and Harry with their children, James, Albus, and Lily. For Victoire, that gave her five uncles, four aunts, and nine cousins just on the Weasley side alone.

She smiled as she observed the younger cousins all gathered in a group in the most open part of the garden. James and Molly-being the oldest-seemed to be giving the younger ones instructions to some sort of game, while the sounds of protests and groans of some could be heard mixed among the giggles and cheers of others. She could only imagine what Hogwarts would be like in a few years when all the younger cousins would be at school together. She enjoyed being the oldest, but at times she wondered what it would have felt like to have that many instant playmates and allies.

The adults were all sitting and standing around several tables that had been set up around the garden for dinner. Charlie sat talking with George and Angelina, while Percy and his wife sat nearby talking and observing the children with almost worrisome looks on their faces. Hermione was tending to an agitated Hugo, who seemed to want nothing more than to join the other children once more and to not be fretted upon by his mother. Ron stood by observing with Harry, Ginny, and Victoire's grandfather, Arthur, as they all suddenly laughed loudly at something. Whatever it was, it made Hugo blush scarlet.

"About time this lot showed up," George's voice rang out as Bill and Fleur immediately made their way over to greet the group. Dominique and Victoire exchanged looks as they followed suit and greeted all of their uncles and aunts and then listened to the incessant compliments of how much they had grown and the inquiries about how school was going. Over the course of fifteen minutes, Victoire had managed to be asked by everyone about what classes she was taking and then prompted to explain how well she was doing.

"So, do you think you're on track to be Head Girl, then?" Percy had asked as Victoire found herself talking to him and Audrey. "Follow in your father and uncle's footsteps?"

"Uncle, singular. Not plural," George added from nearby as he pretended not to be listening.

She smiled. "There are a lot of very bright girls in my year. It really could go to anyone, but I think I might be a contender."

"Good to hear," Percy said, just as George added, "That's a shame." Percy didn't seem to find the comment as funny as George did.

"Molly is already working on fifth year spells," Audrey added proudly. "And of course getting top marks. You wouldn't believe how proud we are."

"Oh, I do," Victoire said with a polite smile before taking a sip of the juice in her hand. It was very much the same every time she found herself talking to her Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey. They enjoyed constantly letting people know about their daughter's obvious ability to excel, and if they weren't talking about that, they were telling everyone about what Percy was up to at the Ministry. Victoire was hoping to escape the conversation before he started up on his latest musing-new broomstick regulations.

"Hi Victoire!" said a small voice from beside her. She felt a tugging on her dress. It was Lily. She was smiling brightly and accompanied by Roxanne and Rose.

"Hi girls," Victoire said, taking the opportunity to escape any further inquiries about her career plans and Potions marks from Percy. "How are you?"

"I've been reading about Ancient Runes," Rosie said, her words pronounced very articulately. "Mum's got a fantastic book and Grams said that you like runes."

"I do like runes." She grinned. She hadn't liked runes when she was ten though, but she found Rosie's inquisitive nature charming. If she had to bet money on anyone in her family being well on the road to Head Girl-ship, it was little Rose Weasley.

"What are runes?" Roxie asked as she fidgeted with a button on her jumper.

"Oh, they're these fascinating," Rose began before Albus ran over and stopped in between the two of them and tried to catch his breath.

"We're starting," he said. "Are you playing?"

"I am!" Lily said as she ran back over to where the other children were. Roxanne followed quickly after her, and Rosie, realizing that Roxanne didn't care as much about runes as she did, shrugged and ran after them to join in on the game.

"Kids," Ginny called out to them. "Don't get too dirty before dinner."

"Which should be any minute now," Molly said as she appeared from the house with several plates and bowls. "I'm just waiting for everyone else to arrive before I start serving."

"Here, we'll help set the table, Mum," Ginny said as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Arthur all made their way towards the house. Fleur stood to help as well and gestured to her children to lend a hand.

"But I'm playing," Louis said, pointing to the kids.

"Aren't you a little old and a little too big to be playing?" Dominique asked as she and Victoire approached him. "They're playing a game where the whole point is to try and knock each other down."

"I have an obvious advantage," he joked. Victoire shook her head, but turned towards the house.

"Here Vicki," Hermione said, handing her a stack of napkins the moment she had entered the kitchen. "You can take these out."

"Who are we waiting for?" Victoire asked while Hermione continued to pile napkin after napkin onto her outstretched arms.

"Oh, just-" Molly began before there was a sudden knock at the kitchen door. "Oh, well here they are now."

"Hello," said a familiar voice as a woman with graying hair and friendly face opened the door and stepped through. "I'm so sorry we're late."

"Oh, nonsense Andromeda," Molly said as she too went to greet her. "Dinner's only just ready. You have perfect timing."

"Did you cut your hair?" Ginny asked Andromeda.

Hermione finished piling on the last of the napkins onto Victoire's arms before she turned to greet the new guests herself. Whether or not Andromeda did get a haircut, Victoire didn't know. She was too busy now focusing on the other people entering the kitchen to the welcomes of everyone else. She hadn't expected Ted to turn up tonight, but the second he walked through the door she felt her body get tense and her heart beat faster. She hadn't prepared on seeing him so soon. Not before she had worked out her feelings at least. Sure enough, he was standing there next to his grandmother and another older boy she didn't recognize. She couldn't help but stare at them stupidly over the pile of napkins that now reached up to her chin.

"Oh," Hermione said once she turned back around and noticed Victoire still standing there. "I thought you had taken those already."

"Oh, right," she said quickly before Ted could catch her eye. She turned and made a beeline for the back garden, wondering if that had seemed as awkward for anyone else as it had been for her.

"I'll take these," Fleur said as she took the stack of napkins from her daughter.

"I thought Ginny was coming right out with the utensils?" Harry asked Ron within earshot of Victoire.

Victoire busied herself with helping her mother. "Andromeda and Ted have just arrived," she said without looking at them.

"Have they?" Harry asked. He instantly began to make his way back towards the house with Ron. Victoire suddenly hoped that the new guests would be detained for at least twenty or so minutes with questions like she had been so that she could gather her thoughts. Feelings or no feelings, this was Ted and she knew she couldn't avoid him all night. She hadn't been prepared to be blindsided by him like this, but she wasn't sure why she was so surprised. Ted and his grandmother were always invited to Weasley family get-togethers like so many other close friends. It was how she and Ted had become such close friends to begin with. Why hadn't she even contemplated him showing up tonight?

"Iz zere more in ze house?" Fleur asked once every napkin had a place.

"Um, I'm not sure," Victoire mumbled. Before she could say anything more, her mother was already bustling towards the house to see if she could help. She took a deep breath and turned towards where the children were now being forced to go and wash their hands by Percy and Audrey.

"But my hands aren't dirty, Uncle Percy," Hugo said matter of factly.

"Regardless," he began to lecture as Victoire turned and walked straight towards where Louis was adjusting his shoe. She hoped she could use him as a distraction from returning into the house.

"Are you sitting with the children or with the adults?" she asked.

"Does it matter?"

"Well," she grinned, "since you're on the cusp, it could go either way so I was just seeing what your preference was."

"Ha-ha," he said sarcastically as everyone began emerging from the house carrying serving bowls and trays full of food. The sheer number of people present must have cleared everything in the kitchen out in one quick trip, and Victoire turned away from the crowd once she noticed Ted emerge while talking to Harry.

"Hey look," Louis said, taking a few steps around her and towards the group. "Ted's here."

"Oh, really?" she asked, trying to sound surprised. Just then, Louis headed straight over to the one person she was hoping he would have provided a distraction from. She thought about going to help with the food, but Louis just so happened to call out Ted's name right as she had planned to make a dash for the opposite end of the table. He looked up and, since she only happened to be several feet behind Louis, he looked right at her. There was no avoiding it now.

"What's up, mate?" Louis said as Ted met him halfway and they gave each other a half handshake, half hug sort of gesture. Victoire followed slowly behind and smiled as she approached the pair of them. At the same time, the unfamiliar man who had arrived with Ted joined the group.

"Not much," Ted said. "It's good to see you." He glanced at Victoire and gave a small smile. "Hey Vic."

"Hey," she said as she positioned herself several feet from him.

"It's been ages," Louis said with a smile as he crossed his arms in front of him and looked at the other stranger standing beside Ted. "Hi, I'm Louis."

"Nathaniel," he said as he shook Louis's hand. He was a broad shouldered man with dark hair and eyes and a tired looking face that seemed to age him several years.

"We work together," Ted said.

"Ted here was kind enough to invite me over for dinner here seeing as I've been living off of cans of beans and toast for the last few weeks," Nathaniel added with a toothy smile.

"The more the merrier," Louis shrugged before Dominique approached the group and smiled at Ted as he greeted her and introduced her to Nathaniel.

"And this is Victoire," Ted said as Nathaniel straightened up and smiled flirtatiously at her. It was the kind of smile that usually received reproachful looks from both Louis and Ted if they were anywhere present when she happened to receive it from a boy. Sure enough, as Nathaniel leaned forward to shake her hand and tell her it was "an absolute pleasure" to meet her, she glanced at Louis and saw that he was giving him the exact annoyed look she had anticipated. She even chanced a glance at Ted, but he wasn't staring at Nathaniel. Instead, he was watching her face. When their eyes met, he casually looked away.

"Nice to meet you," she said politely.

"Dinner's over here gang," Arthur called over to the group of them as everyone scattered around the table looking for seats. The adults were all trying to situate their children, but that wasn't easy with each kid wanting to sit by someone else. Victoire almost wanted to wait for everyone to settle before she decided to take a seat, but decided against it since she wasn't sure that she wanted to leave it up to chance that she should get one of the last available spots.

She suddenly wondered where Ted was planning to sit, but he was currently busy bear hugging Lily and she was demanding that he sat with her. It was within moments that Albus and James made their way to sit near him, too, and with Nathaniel and Harry taking places on the various areas surrounding him and with Hugo and Freddie making sure they got spaces near Albus and James, that side of the table began to fill up fast. She glanced to where her sister, parents, and Andromeda were all making space and decided that was as good as any other spot. If she didn't hurry, she'd end up sandwiched in between Hugo and Freddie-who were notoriously messy eaters-or Percy and Audrey.

Dinner was a pleasant experience as the sun disappeared behind the horizon and night suddenly filled the sky. Ron and Charlie took turns lighting lanterns around the table while everyone else was finishing up the lasts of their meals. Idle chatter hummed over the table as the younger children one by one finished and headed straight back to where they had been gathering before, waiting anxiously to pick up their game where they had left off.

"I actually have an extra couple of World Cup tickets," Victoire heard Ginny telling Louis from across the table as she tuned into their conversation. "It won't be hard to get one for your friend."

"Excellent," Louis said as he smiled at Dominique, just as their grandmother suddenly stood and started clearing the empty dishes away from the table with a flick of her wand. Everyone else stood as well and began helping her.

Louis stood and stretched. "I'm beat and ready to go."

"I think you've got some more time yet," Victoire said as she pulled out her own wand and began helping to tidy up. "Now everyone is going to go inside and continue talking over tea and maybe firewhiskey."

"You think they'll let me have some?" he asked as he glanced towards the house.

"I'm sure they'll let you have alllll the tea you can drink," Dominique teased before she turned and carried some things away. Victoire laughed and followed her.

The dishes and other various messes from dinner were cleaned and taken care of quickly while the children continued playing outside. Victoire watched as the adults gradually walked into the living room while the sudden sound of talking and laughing echoed into the kitchen. As she watched them go, she suddenly wondered whether or not she should join them. She was an adult now-at least according to wizarding law-and yet, she didn't feel as if she belonged in that room. She was still used to being seen as a kid when around her family. It would be out of place if she entered and sat with her aunts and uncles and her parents while they talked about their families, and work, and current events. Then again, it would be out of place for her to play in the garden with the children, too.

She suddenly remembered back when the Weasley family numbers were smaller and it was just she, Dominique, Louis, and Ted running around the back garden playing, just as the younger cousins were doing now. The adults would all go and enjoy adult conversation that bored the four of them to tears and thus, they would escape to the garden to play games where they would blow out the lanterns and play hide and seek in the dark. As it was now, Ted had walked into the living room without a second thought, and Louis and Dominique were idly talking in the kitchen before they began to head outside.

"You joining them or coming outside?" Louis asked.

"What are you two doing?"

"I'm going to go and bug the kids," he said as he suddenly undid the top button of his shirt and started walking towards the back door.

"They're more interesting than that lot in there," Dominique added.

"Especially if they won't give me any firewhiskey," Louis mumbled before they disappeared outside. Victoire watched them go before she cast one last glance towards the living room. She sighed and followed her brother and sister. She could create her own middle ground between the two situations. After all, it was a spectacular night. Why spend it indoors?

"That's not fair!" screamed one of the girls once she was outside.

"How is it not fair?" James asked as he stood there staring Rose down.

"Because the teams should be equal," she said as she put her hands on her hips.

"What's equal, then?" he asked, growing more and more frustrated.

"Why are you all arguing?" Louis asked as he and Dominique stood with the kids. Victoire watched from several yards away.

"James thinks it's fair to have himself, Albus, Molly, and Freddie all on one team," Lily said as she pointed to the tallest and arguably biggest people standing amongst the group. "Leaving me, Hugo, Rosie, Roxie, and Lucy on the other team."

"What game are you playing?" Dominique asked.

"The same game as before where we have to knock each other over," James said with a shrug. Both Louis and Dominique exchanged amused looks.

"Okay, here," Louis said. "I'll break up the teams. Molly, you're here and James you're here…"

Victoire turned and walked over to the nearest picnic table and sat down on top of the table top, letting her feet rest on the bench. She watched as Dominique and Louis separated each team into far more fair numbers and then stood there monitoring them as referees and offering suggestions and tips to the various kids.

She turned her thoughts back to Ted. It was sort of telling that he was in there and she was out here. They were the best of friends, but they were also worlds apart at this stage of their lives. She focused her eyes down on the ground at a gnome that was poking its head up through the earth. Ted was out of school, working, mingling with the adults as friends because he could. She was a school girl who still had an entire year left to go and felt out of place in a world of adult situations and real issues. She had gone and had her first drink and look what had ended up happening to her. What would happen when she started to experience so many other firsts similar to that in the real world? More trouble? More drama? More needing someone to come to the rescue and help her through it?

She sighed and started playing with the ends of her hair. How stupid she had been to even consider anything more between Ted and her. How different they were when she thought about it. He deserved someone who had a plan and who knew what they were getting themselves into like he did. Not someone whose biggest worries were exams and what other people were doing or saying at school.

The back door opening and closing made her look towards the house. Nathaniel had just appeared with a pipe of sort in his hands and was raising his wand up to light it. She watched as he stood back and watched the younger kids run back and forth for some time before his gaze found its way towards her. He seemed surprised to see her sitting there and made his way across the lawn.

"All by yourself, then?" he asked as the sudden smell of pipe tobacco became apparent.

"I'm a spectator," she said with a lazy grin as she watched him sit down on the bench her feet were resting on.

"Would you like some?" he asked, offering her his pipe.

"No, thanks," she said politely, glancing back towards the kids. "I don't smoke."

"Terrible habit," he said absently. "Don't know why I started." He sighed. "Work's stressful though, and the hours are long."

"So I've heard," she said, watching him. He seemed to be taking in the atmosphere around them.

"Obviously," he said with a little laugh. "You and Ted are pretty close, I take it?"

"We've been friends all my life."

"You know," he said thoughtfully. "I don't think I've known someone besides my parents that long. Only child you see, so I don't even have any siblings. My parents were only children as well, so no cousins or anything either. Your family here…" He laughed. "It's so large, I can't even believe it."

Victoire smiled politely.

"And you're the oldest of this generation?"

She nodded.

"It really is crazy for me to see all this," he continued as Victoire sat there and learned some more about him. He was twenty-two, had been in Slytherin at school, and had excelled in Potions and Charms. He had wanted to be a Healer, but hadn't managed the N.E.W.T scores in the end in Transfiguration, so he had gone into potion and antidote research instead. He enjoyed it enough, but still had aspirations of becoming a full time Healer one day, so he said. He carried on talking about Ted and how hardworking he was and how this sort of career just came naturally to him whereas so many others struggled or tired of it quickly after starting.

"It takes a certain kind of person…" he continued before the sound of the back door opening and closing once more caused both of them to look up at it. Ted appeared and noticed them at once. He smiled a little as he shoved his hands into his pockets and made his way across the garden towards them.

"What's going on?" he asked, glancing first at Victoire and then at Nathaniel.

"Oh, just talking," he said with a smile. "Telling her about work and what we do."

"You must be riveted, Vic," he said with a small smile.

She smiled back at him before turning away towards where Dominique was lecturing Freddie about something. She wanted to make a point not to look at Ted right now. She was afraid if she did, she'd find herself conflicted again.

"Remember when we were little," Ted said to what she assumed was her. "We used to blow out the lanterns and run around playing hide and seek in the dark?"

She smiled, but still didn't look at him. "Yeah, that was fun."

"Those were the days," he said as Nathaniel started dumping the tobacco remnants in his pipe out on the ground. The gnome Victoire had been watching before was now shaking his pudgy fist up at him.

"I should get home and pack," Nathaniel said. "I still haven't even started."

"I still have more to do," Ted said.

Victoire turned back towards the pair of them. "Where are you going?"

"Russia," Nathaniel said before Ted could answer. "For a week. We're meeting with the leading expert on dragon pox out there. We've been work arduously with them for several months now-"

"I've mentioned it to her," Ted said, abruptly cutting him off. She had a feeling that Ted was all too used to hearing Nathaniel talk simply because he enjoy hearing himself. At least, that was what she had picked up about him over the last ten minutes.

He smiled. "We leave tomorrow."

"Wow," she said to Ted. "You didn't mention you were off to Russia so soon."

"It was sudden." He was now watching the disgruntled gnome.

"We just heard today," Nathaniel added as he stood and started smoothing out his robe. "I'm going to go and thank everyone for the lovely evening."

"I'll walk you out," Ted said as he turned on his heel. Nathaniel faced Victoire.

"It was wonderful meeting you," he said with his wide toothy smile. "I hope I'll get to run into you again in the future."

"Perhaps," she said, forcing a smile as she extended her hand to shake his. He held it for several seconds more than what was comfortable and it wasn't until she made a slight tug of her hand to retrieve it that he let go. He turned to walk away, glancing once over his shoulder to smile at her again before disappearing behind Ted in the house.

"Who was that guy?" yelled Lily from several yards away as Victoire saw her sitting on the ground with Roxie.

"A friend of Ted's."

"I didn't like him," Louis said as he stood there holding Lucy upside down. "He thought a lot about himself, didn't he?"

"He was nice enough," she said, seeing no reason to really criticize him. "A little talkative."

"He was trying to chat you up, all right," Dominique teased as the door opened once again and Ted reappeared on his own. Dominique and Louis exchanged glances and stopped talking.

"Giving up, then?" Ted asked as he walked over to where the boys were all grouped together and rough housing.

"We were trying to think of another game," Albus said.

"What about hide and go seek," Ted suggested, glancing at Dominique. "You can play the way we used to play."

"Oh, I don't think they can handle that," Louis teased as James's face instantly looked challenged.

"I can," he said. "Maybe they can't, but I can. I'm not a baby."

"I can, too!" said Freddie as the other boys soon agreed. "How did you play?"

Ted grinned. "See those lanterns right there," he pointed to them, "you blow them all out and you play in the pitch dark."

"But how can you find anyone?" Albus asked.

"That's what makes it hard," Dominique said obviously.

"I don't like the dark much," Hugo said as he sat down on the ground.

"I don't mind it," James said, puffing his chest out. "I want to play. Anyone else want to play?"

"I do!" said Freddie. Albus glanced at Hugo and then at his older brother before he said he would like to too. They then explained the game to the girls, and Lily and Roxie expressed instant interest in playing. Rosie hesitated, but once Molly asked about the safety concerns and Ted instructed that you couldn't leave the yard and that they'd played a hundred times before and never had any problems, they both agreed as well.

"Are you going to play, too?" Lily asked Ted.

"I don't think that would be very fair," he said. He pulled out his wand and suddenly a steady stream of light appeared at the end. "I can cheat."

"But you wouldn't!"

"I don't know…" he teased.

"I always knew all the best spots to hide," Louis added. "You lot would never be able to find me."

"I would!" Freddie said as Louis shook his head. "I bet I would!"

"All right," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I'll play one game, but when you haven't found me, make sure you let me know so I don't sit there hiding forever." He glanced at his sister. "Are you playing too, Nic?"

She gave him a doubtful look. "Seriously?"

"You're playing."

"I'll find you," Freddie said confidently to Louis as Ted made his way over towards the lanterns and pointed his wand to extinguish each one. The yard suddenly went completely dark with the only light coming from the glow of the windows in the house. Victoire reached for her wand and in unison, she and Ted both said, "Lumos," as two streams of light were now their only other source.

"I'm keeping mine on," Victoire said. "As a point of reference so no one gets lost."

"I am too," Ted said before she pointed her wand in the direction of his voice to see where he was. "So, if anyone gets scared or can't make their way around, follow the light."

"Or just yell," Dominique added from somewhere in the darkness.

"And you cannot leave the garden," Ted repeated. "Is that clear?"

"Yes," said several voices in mixed unison.

"Ok, I'm it first!" yelled James. "I'm going to start counting so go and hide…One…two…"

The sounds of laughing and footsteps could be heard in every direction as Victoire felt the presence of several people rushing past her. She couldn't help but think this was a bad idea. It was a moonless night and it really was quite dark. She realized she had played this game a hundred times without fail in these very conditions, but looking back it seemed fairly dangerous to be running around in the dark.

"I'm going to be in a lot of trouble if someone hurts themselves, aren't I?" Ted asked as she felt him sit down right next to her on top of the picnic table. He shined his light onto his face.

"I'd count on it," she said as she shined her light on her face. "Particularly if it's Molly or Lucy."

"We never hurt ourselves, though." He lowered the light down onto the ground. He was sitting just inches away from her and yet, she couldn't even see him in the dark.

"There were only four of us, though," she began, "and we were more cautious than some of these kids." The sound of a thud and a small yelp caused both Ted and Victoire to point their wands in the direction of the noise, but they saw nothing. Apparently whoever had fallen had got up and kept going. She lowered her wand to the ground and began watching the beam of light stretch across the garden towards the house and up the wall. She began bouncing her wand up and down to watch the beam dance.

"So, I hear you're going to France," he said from beside her as his wand light suddenly hit her square in the face. She squinted and shielded her eyes.

"For a bit over the summer," she said as she felt his leg brush against hers. She felt her body give a start as they touched and found herself looking down into the darkness where their legs would have been had she'd been able to actually see them.

"For how long?"

"Not sure, but probably for a couple of weeks," she said before she flipped her wand around on him since he continued to shine his onto her face. He seemed to get the message and lowered his down.

"That's crap."

"I'm actually rather excited for it," she said.

"Oh, it's really cool for you," he said. "I just thought you'd be around this summer."

"I'll be back by the Quidditch World Cup," she said with a small laugh, though the thought of Ted wanting to spend time with her this summer made something inside of her leap involuntarily. "Dominique and Louis will be sure of that."

"Yeah, you better be."

She found herself smiling and suddenly very happy that Ted couldn't see her in the darkness. "Nathaniel seemed nice."

"Yeah he took a bit of a liking to you, didn't he?" he said wearily as he lowered his wand down from his face and started bouncing in along the ground in a manner similar to the way she had just been doing.

"Dominique said the same thing, but I think he was just trying to be nice…" she said as she suddenly heard James call out that he had found someone.

"Nope," he said, pointing his want towards James's voice. "He was flirting with you. He kept asking me about you, too."

She started absently fidgeting with her wand. "What'd you say?"

"What did you want me to say?" he asked rather quickly.

She made a confused face that she was happy once more that Ted couldn't see. "It doesn't matter what I wanted, what did you actually say?"

"I'm just curious what you would have wanted me to say."

"Why does it matter?" she asked, wondering why he seemed so adamant on finding out how she felt.

"Because I'm just curious."

"Honestly," she said as she looked towards the light coming from the house, "that I had a boyfriend or something. That I wasn't interested, but politely, of course."

He was quiet for a long moment. She had to shine her wand onto him to make sure he was still there and hadn't simply disappeared without her knowing. He was staring thoughtfully into the darkness as laughter rang through the garden somewhere.

"So, what did you tell him?"

"Something like that," he mumbled. He turned towards her and squinted once the light hit his eyes. "I mean, he's an okay bloke, but not for you."

She smiled and wanted to know who he thought was right for her, but she was almost afraid to hear the answer since she knew he wouldn't tell him. It would only discourage her more, which was something she didn't want. Sitting here with him, getting tingles when their legs touched or wondering if there were hidden meaning in the things he said was giving her a thrill. A thrill that she wasn't keen on disappearing. All of her previous thoughts about Ted being too different from her or that he was on a different level seemed pointless now. He wasn't with the adults or playing with the kids, but rather he had chosen to sit with her. He'd chosen to spend his time with her over everyone else, just as he always had.

She knew then and there that she had fallen for him. She laughed a little as she found the irony of sitting in the dark to finally see everything clearly almost poetic. She had fallen for him and figuring that out was the first step. Figuring out what to do now was the next, much harder, step.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, taking a deep breath and shining her light forward. At that moment, she noticed a flash of dark hair run by. Freddie suddenly yelled that he was it and was beginning to count.

"So, Russia…?" she continued.

"So, Russia," he repeated. "That will be loads of work."

"At least you'll get the chance to see your Russian girl," she said, remembering the story he had told her around Christmas time after his last trip to Russia. She wanted to gauge his reaction.

"What Russian girl?" he asked before he suddenly seemed to realize. "You mean the assistant? How do you remember that?"

"I've got a good memory," she said as she shined her light onto her face and looked at him.

"Yeah, maybe," he said with a tired laugh, "but somehow I don't think anything will come of that."

"You're not even going to try?" she asked, still trying to test his limits. She wanted the piece of mind of knowing that he wasn't interested in this girl or any other girl that wasn't her for that matter. She wanted him to claim that work was keeping him too busy and that he didn't have time for girls or any sort of excuse that kept him preoccupied.

"Weren't you the one telling me I should try a little closer to home?" he asked as he flipped the light onto her before quickly flipping it back on himself.

She grinned. "I suppose I did. And I still mean that."

"Well, then, that's the plan," he said with a furtive sort of look that she could see, though his face was only half exposed in the light.

"How close to home?" she asked quickly, blurting it out before she thought better of it. She heard him sigh and wondered how strange he probably found the question. She immediately regretted asking it since it didn't even make sense.

"I guess that's what I'm trying to figure out."

She lowered her wand down from her face and stared into the darkness. What had that meant? She had almost expected him to laugh off the question and throw one of his witty quips back at her, but he had actually answered it. He had answered it with an answer that fit the context of her question, but he couldn't have known what she had meant. Could he? She wanted to say something to him. She needed to say something. He was going to Russia tomorrow and she was going back to school and she wouldn't see him until this summer. A world of change could happen over those months and if she didn't, she would regret-

"Hey, Vic?"

"Yes?" she said in a tone that sounded more startled and apprehensive than she would have liked it to have been.

"I…" he said before pausing. "I…Here's the thing…" He paused again, but this time Victoire knew why. They both pointed their wands in the same direction as someone approached them.

"The little bugger actually found me," Louis mumbled as he plopped himself down on the bench next to his sister. He was clearly annoyed at having been out maneuvered by an eight year old, though Victoire didn't really care at the moment. In fact, she had never in her entire life been less excited to see him.


	20. Birthday Greetings

Victoire had never once, in her entire career as a student, found herself so behind in her school work. She had slacked off over Easter holidays and now that she was back at school, she found herself attempting to play catch up with every free second she had. This was a particularly aggravating feeling, seeing as the weather was getting nicer and nicer every day. The Hogwarts's grounds were looking more and more inviting with each passing minute.

However, the several days she had been back at school had provided a much needed break in her ever constant thoughts of Ted. In fact, it wasn't until Whit reminded her to date her Transfiguration essay that she realized that Ted's birthday was the following day. It had completely slipped her mind, and she realized she hadn't even thought about writing him. It wasn't as if she didn't want to; she did. She just had no idea what to say to him now that the one thing she wanted to tell him wasn't something she particularly wanted to say in a letter. She wanted to tell him about her feelings in person, but that hadn't worked out.

She hadn't been able to secure another free moment with Ted that night at her grandparents' once Louis and Dominique had given up playing hide and seek with the younger cousins. Worse yet was that she knew he had wanted to talk to her about something, but he hadn't. He had flipped the subject to Quidditch once Dominique and Louis had appeared, and that was where it remained until he went back inside the house to tell everyone he was leaving. Whatever he had wanted to tell her was either not important enough to continue on about, or important enough that he only wanted her to hear it...She was hoping for the latter. She had run over a thousand scenarios-both good and bad-in her head of what he might have wanted to say, and each made as much sense as the next. She hated knowing that it could be ages before she figured this out. It left an empty feeling in her stomach just thinking about it.

As she walked to the library to meet Whit, she began to wonder what he was up to. He would be nineteen tomorrow and was probably still in Russia. She didn't know exactly when he would be back, but she hoped he at least found a few moments to enjoy his birthday while he was out there. She suddenly remembered him showing up on her porch on her birthday, despite being swamped with work, and giving her such a perfect and thoughtful gift. She wished she had something equally as thoughtful to send him, but being trapped at school made that impossible.

She sighed as she turned and entered the library, feeling terrible knowing that she had almost forgotten his birthday with how busy she'd been. She had loads of work due tomorrow, but she had to find a few moments to write him a nice letter. If she ate dinner quickly and skipped dessert she could-

"Hey Victoire," said a voice from nearby. She stopped and turned towards where Madam Pince was checking out books for students. Standing there was Stuart, his arms filled with several books.

"Oh, hi." She stopped in her tracks and was suddenly unsure if she should move closer and fill the gap between them or not. She hadn't spoken to him since his birthday and really didn't know what to say to him.

"Hey." He smiled. "How have you been?"

"Well. Thanks," she said with a shrug. "And yourself?"

"Okay," he said with a similar shrug as he stepped away from the counter once he realized she wasn't coming any closer to him. "I just haven't seen you in awhile."

"I've been around," she said. "Busy with school, you know."

"Same here," he said, shaking his head and glancing down to the books in his hands. "N.E.W.T.s are absolutely killing me."

"I can imagine."

"You left the Dragon's Breath early the other night," he said. "I didn't even see you go."

"Well, you were busy," she said dryly.

He grinned a little, missing her sarcasm. "I don't remember much of that night to be honest. I was pretty pissed."

"Yes, I saw that," she said as she shifted her weight on her feet and glanced around the library looking for Whit.

"I didn't say something to offend you, did I?" he asked as he watched her.

"Oh, no," she said as she studied his face. He was still as handsome as ever, but he wasn't nearly as attractive as she used to think. "No, nothing like that."

He smiled. "Oh, okay. I didn't think I had, but, I mean, I wanted to make sure…" He trailed off and ran a hand through his hair. He suddenly looked rather awkward. "Well, I hope you had fun that night."

She bit her bottom lip as a vision of Colleen and Stuart ran through her head, which then turned into her and Ted laughing with her mouth full of food. She suddenly smiled and laughed a little as she looked away from Stuart. "I did, actually. A lot of fun."

"Glad to hear it," he said. "My only regret is that we didn't get to hang out more that night because I was really hoping we would."

She nodded more out of politeness than agreement. "Yes, that is rather disappointing, isn't it? However, I suppose it's all for the better."

"How so?" he asked.

She shrugged and took a step around him. "I should thank you really. If I hadn't seen you and Colleen snogging across the room, I may very well have not ever moved on."

He stared at her, his mouth slightly agape.

Her expression grew pensive before she shrugged once more. "If you hadn't done that, I probably would have spent the remainder of the night…Well, the year, pining after you and," she paused and sighed, "I've done that for three years now. I just can't do it anymore. It's time to move on to someone new, who I think…" She paused again and smiled slowly. "Actually, who I know, will be a better fit for me. So, thank you."

"You're welcome?" he said for lack of something better to say. He suddenly looked completely dumbfounded.

She smiled softly at him. "Good luck on your exams."

"Thanks," he said, forcing a confused smile.

She turned and continued walking through the library towards the back where she assumed Whit would be. She let herself smile widely once she was concealed between the aisles of bookshelves. That had felt rather good.

Several hours later, the excitement from having all but told Stuart off had worn and she was now back to the mundane task of attempting to keep up with her homework. She had already asked herself at least five times that hour why she had allowed herself to take so many classes this year, and asking herself that only reminded her of how difficult the following year would be with N.E.W.T.s on top of all of everything.

"Mooncalf dung is especially helpful to these five fungi," Whit said as she read aloud from her textbook. "Name them."

Victoire stared at her, her head leaning lazily against her hand. She had wondered if her brain had leaked out of ear over the course of the last three hours. Her Uncle Ron had told her a story when she was a child about a spell that could apparently do that and, even though her Aunt Hermione had told her that she hadn't heard of anything like that, she could still never shake the thought from her mind. If such a spell did exist, someone had just cast it on her.

"Anyone home?" Whit asked.

"Can we take a break?" she asked as she sat up straight and rubbed her eyes. "We've been at this for hours and it's not even due until Friday."

"Herbology's the last one," Whit encouraged, looking their work over. "We've only got maybe an hour of work left and, if we finish this, we're set for at least two days."

That had been Whit's goal. To help catch Victoire up and to get at least two days worth of work done so that she herself could have tomorrow night off. Victoire knew that the following night Jack had Quidditch practice and that he was usually too tired to study afterwards if he could help it. She had a sneaking suspicion that was why Whit so adamantly wanted the night off.

"At this rate, I'm going to have memorized the entire textbook," Victoire mumbled.

"That's a good thing." Whit smiled before she finally relented and checked her watch. "It's nine-thirty. At ten we're finishing this up."

"Excellent," she said as she leaned back and stretched in her seat. Whit did the same thing before she reached into her bag and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. "What's that?"

"Something Jack wrote to me," she said. "I told him he really should be concentrating in his lessons right now because of his exams, but-" She shrugged and held up the note.

"You can't really blame him," Victoire said as she started doodling on a scratch sheet of parchment. "You're all but refusing to see him."

"That's not true," she said. "I just refuse to be a distraction. I tried studying with him yesterday in the common room and we just ended up screwing around the entire time."

Victoire looked up from her doodling and stared at her with an amused smile.

"Not…" Whit stammered once she realized what Victoire was thinking. "Talking, joking, playing around."

"Right…" she teased as she returned to her drawing.

"I wouldn't," Whit said, shaking her head. "Not in the common room…"

"Not in the common room?" Victoire continued to tease playfully as she saw Whit's cheeks get noticeably pinker. "But other places are acceptable. Somewhere a bit more private, perhaps?"

Whit picked her note up and placed it in front of her face, purposely hiding her red cheeks behind it. "I cannot wait until you figure things out with Ted and then everyone and their brother can just have a field day teasing you, because you know they will. I know I will."

"If and when…" Victoire sighed as she suddenly remembered that she had wanted to write him that evening. "It's his birthday tomorrow."

"Ted's?" asked Whit as she still hid behind her letter.

"Yeah."

"Did you get him anything?"

"I barely just remembered it," she said as she pulled out a piece of parchment. "I feel like an idiot, but I'm just going to write him a letter."

Whit lowered her letter. "Confessing your undying love for him?"

She cocked her eyebrow and stared at her. "A bit over dramatic, don't you think?"

She grinned. "You tell me."

Victoire picked up her quill and stared at the blank piece of parchment in front of her. What was she going to write? Happy birthday, hope you're having a good day? That seemed so impersonal. Yet everything else she felt encouraged to write seemed like too much.

"I have no idea what to write," she finally said after several minutes of silence.

"'Happy birthday' is a good start," Whit said as Victoire now noticed she was scribbling a note of her own. She watched her for a moment until she looked up from what she was doing and realized that Victoire really did seem torn on the matter. She put down her quill and folded her hands in front of her. "What do you want to say?"

She shook her head before she smiled a little. "Hey Ted, I've gone and taken a fancy to you. Only took a little over seventeen years, but what do you say?"

"It's a start."

She made a face. "I was kidding."

"Why not tell him how you feel?" she asked seriously.

"Through a letter? Why would I do that?"

"You don't seem to have much luck doing it in person."

"That's not fair," she said, looking back down at the blank sheet of parchment. "I've only really had one real chance, and it's not exactly easy."

Whit shrugged and picked her quill back up. "Well, if he happens to feel the same way about you, then think of how wonderful that letter would be to receive. On his birthday, no less."

"And if he doesn't?"

"From what you told me, he may very well," she said. "That conversation you had the other day seemed pretty indicative that some sort of mutual feelings are there."

"You don't know that," she mumbled. "And for all I know, he was just about to tell me how much he values me as a friend and a friend only." She sighed. "Maybe he realized how I felt and wanted to nip it in the bud as soon as possible."

"You're overthinking it."

"But what if-?"

"Stop worrying so much." She laughed. "You know, I really think you'll feel better if you just write it out. There's no rule saying you have to send it to him and you never know, you may finish it and think he should read it."

Victoire considered this. Perhaps it would be cathartic to just get it all out. She didn't have to send the letter to him and, once she got all of her feelings out on paper, she could then write him a more normal letter without worrying about all the things she wanted to say. She picked up her quill and looked down at the blank parchment once more before she connected the quill to paper.

_Ted-_

_Happy Birthday. You're nineteen! It seems like only yesterday you were turning nine and now this..._

She stopped and reread what she had just written. That was rubbish. She took her wand and pointed it at the paper, erasing everything she had just written. She tried again.

_Ted-_

_Happy Birthday! I don't know where you are when you'll get this, but where ever it is, I hope you're having fun celebrating._

She stopped and rolled her eyes as she absently tapped her wand to the parchment again. That was rubbish, too. Complete rubbish. She leaned back and crossed her arms across her chest as she stared at the parchment. She was making too much out of this and she knew it. She leaned forward once more, throwing all of her inhibitions out and just going to it.

_Ted-_

_I've gone mad. I'm convinced of it. I'm sitting here trying to write you a letter for your birthday and I can't do it. I can't write you a simple birthday greeting. You're probably wondering why it's even a struggle (how hard is it to scribble Happy Birthday down and send it off in the post?), but that's where me going mad comes into play. I've gone mad and I can't phrase a simple letter to you because I can't get the words right (have any of these words been right yet?). Everything I think I should write seems so trivial and corny, and everything I want to write seems so intense and out of place for a letter. If I don't get this out though, I may very well explode. I can't concentrate properly and I'm blaming you._

_I'm not sure how it happened. Perhaps it was always there and I chose to ignore it, but I'm not ignoring it anymore. You're my best friend and I don't want to lose you, but I also want more. I don't even know if you want more, but if I don't at least try I'll never know._

_I told you I've gone mad._

_What I'm trying to say is that I think I've gone and fallen for you. Actually, I know I have. Fairly hard, even. The sort of falling that makes me think about you all the time and wonder what you're doing even though I have a hundred other things I should be worrying about._

_So I thought you should know. You yourself have always told me I have a tendency to fall for wankers so I suppose it was only a matter of time until I fell for you (I really hope you laughed at that). This time though, I really feel like I've fallen for the right one…and it's terrifying and exciting at the same time._

_Happy birthday._

_Love,_

_Victoire_

She read it over once and grinned to herself. Perhaps she should have thrown something in about how she wondered what his lips felt like or what he would feel like pushed against her. He wasn't going to read it, she could have a field day. It had been a cathartic experience though, that she could admit. She shoved this letter under her Herbology book and reached into her bag to pull out another piece of parchment to write him a real letter.

_Ted-_

_Look who's gone and gotten old on me. Happy birthday! I hope you're having at least a little fun in Russia. You'll have to write to me and tell me all about it if you get the time._

_I wish I had a present to give you since your present for my birthday was so perfect, but in good time. I'll make it up to you this summer when I get to see you, I promise. I'm really excited for the summer…It honestly can't come fast enough. I also promise a longer letter later, but I'm just so swamped with school work lately that I can barely scrape this one out. I blame you. I really do._

_Happy nineteenth. I miss you a lot._

_Love,_

_Victoire_

She sighed once again and glanced over her short letter. She wished it could have been longer, but Whit was already pulling her Herbology notes back out. Plus, she really didn't know what else to say seeing as she had just seen him a few days ago. She began to fold it up.

"Can I see it?" Whit asked as she watched her.

Victoire's eyes traveled to the longer note that was sticking out just behind her Herbology book and wondered if Whit noticed it. She handed her the note she intended to send Ted as she pushed her Herbology book further along to cover the other note completely.

"I thought you were going to write something more," she scanned the letter, "you know, personal?"

"I did write that," she said. "But that's the one I'm going to send him."

"Oh." She handed it back to her. "How'd that one turn out?"

She drummed her fingers on the table and glanced down at her Herbology book. "Do you want to read it?"

"Only if you want me to."

She hesitated for a moment before she picked up her Herbology book. Both she and Whit looked down at the letter sitting beneath it.

"This one is quite a bit longer," Whit said as Victoire handed it to her.

"The stuff I don't want to talk about I can write for ages," she said. "The stuff I can write about, I can't think of anything better to say."

Whit smiled at her before she started reading it over. Victoire sat there staring at her intently, wondering what she would say as she watched her face for any expression. Once she had finished, she smiled and looked back up at her.

"I really think you should send this one."

"No." She shook her head. "Absolutely not."

"It's great," she said. "It's not over the top and it says exactly what you want it to in that quirky fun way that you and Ted relate to each other." She smirked. "I particularly like the wanker part."

"Would you have ever sent something like this to Jack?" she asked. "And don't say you would, because you wouldn't have."

"Jack wasn't my best friend," she said, handing the letter back to her. "You and Ted have an entirely different relationship."

"Which is why I'm not sending him this," she said as she folded it up and shoved it into her Herbology notebook. "Now let's finish this up, I'm exhausted and ready for bed."


	21. Sisterly Squabbles

Because it tastes like plastic," Whit said the following morning as she and Victoire walked back to their dormitory from the showers. "The texture is plastic-like, too."

"You're mental." Victoire laughed as she avoided several of the girls who were running up and down the halls attempting to get ready for their day. As she approached her room, she noticed Dominique appear from her own room and dart across the hall towards hers.

"Nic," she called after her.

Her head turned towards the source of her name. "There you are," she said. "Can I borrow something?"

"Something for your hair, perhaps?" she asked, glancing at Dominique's sloppy ponytail. Several straggly pieces were falling out in random places around her head. On anyone else, Victoire would have known it was an accident, but she had a feeling her sister actually tried to get her hair to look that sloppy.

"No," she said dryly before she followed her sister into her room. "I need to borrow your Potions notebook from last year."

"Why do you need that?" she asked as she started brushing her hair.

"I need to write an essay," she began, "and since I know you save everything, and your notes are better than mine-"

"I have Potions this morning." She glanced at Dominique. "So, I need my notes."

"You need your notes from last year?" she asked skeptically. "For today?"

"I keep them all in the same place," she said. "One big notebook."

"Oh, crap." She sighed. "All right. Well, do you have Herbology today?"

"No."

"Can I borrow your Herbology notes, then?"

"Do you even take notes?"

"I do, I swear," she said. "Your notes are just so easy to read and organized and detailed-" She smiled sweetly at her. "You did get an 'O' in both subjects, so I know I'd be getting help from the best."

Victoire stared at her. If she was actually kissing up to get her notes, she had to have been particularly desperate. "I got an 'O' because I knew the material," she said as she reached for her school bag, pulled out a large notebook, and pitched it to her sister. "You can read the notes all you want, but it's not going to help you much unless you actually retain the information."

"Which I will," she said as she caught it and smiled. "You're a lifesaver, Vic."

"I need it back by tonight," she said just as Dominique opened the book and turned to leave the room. It was just as she was crossing the threshold that two pieces of parchments fell out onto the floor. She reached down to pick them up.

"These two pages got loose," Dominique said. Victoire turned to see what she was talking about. It was then that she realized that she was seconds away from reading her letters to Ted.

"Oh!" She darted across the room and managed to grab one of the letters. The other was just out of reach and Dominique had already grabbed it and begun scanning it. "Those aren't…You don't need to-" She grabbed at the other one as Dominique held it away. She stared at Victoire as if she had gone mad.

"It's just a letter to Ted," Dominique said as Victoire found herself crushing the letter she had managed to grab in an attempt to wish it away. She still couldn't tell which letter she had grabbed and which one Dominique was looking at, but if Dominique found out that she fancied Ted, she'd never hear the end of it. She would turn it into one big joke.

"Give it back!" Victoire yelled.

"Why are you being so weird?" she asked. "Did you say something about me in it?"

"No!" she said as she looked down at her notebook and snatched it back. Dominique looked at her sister as if she had suddenly grown another head.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked. She looked back at the letter in her hand, her curiosity obviously peeked.

"Give me that back or else you'll never so much as see the covers of my notebooks!"

Dominique mouth went agape as Victoire's face started to turn red. She could feel her body starting to shake, but she wasn't sure if that was because of anger or fear of her sister finding out about her feelings for Ted.

"You're ridiculous." She threw the letter at her. Victoire immediately grabbed at it and quickly handed over her notebook, hoping Dominique would just take it and leave the room. She did just that, but not before throwing Victoire a contemptuous look.

She looked down at the two letters in her hand. One was considerably more crushed than the other and her eyes trailed to the opposite one; the one Dominique had been holding. She took a breath of relief as she realized it hadn't been the one that revealed her feelings.

"Well then…" Whit said from across the room.

"I had forgotten that I put them in there," she mumbled as the adrenaline in her body slowly subsided.

"I saw that," she said as she pulled her robe on over her uniform.

"You think I overreacted?"

She grabbed her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. "A little. I mean, you looked as if you were about to pull out your wand and curse her."

She sighed as she slowly walked over to her trunk and threw the crumpled, incriminating letter inside of it. "She should have just given it back. It was none of her business."

Whit nodded. "She had no right to read it, but you did come at her rather quickly."

"I'll apologize later," she said as she shut her trunk and reread the letter she had kept, making perfectly sure it was the one she wanted to send. "I can't let Dominique find out about this."

Whit stared at her. Her expression seemed to ask why, but she didn't dare say it.

"Because she'll tell everyone," she said as if reading her mind. "She'll think it's funny and...she'll tell Ted before I get a chance to."

Whit walked over and patted Victoire on the back before leaning down to hand her school bag. "Come on, I'll walk with you to the owlery so you can send that. Then you can forget all about it."

"All right," she said, shaking her head and taking her bag. "And do me a favor. Remind me to burn that other letter later."

Later that night, Victoire walked into a busy and noisy common room. All of the chairs and tables were taken while many kids were finding spots on the floor to work and socialize. Her eyes scanned the room for familiar faces and noticed her brother, Jack, and Whit sitting near the corner of the room.

"Hey," she said as she approached them.

"Hey!" said Whit. "Where have you been?"

"Professor Holt asked a few of us if we would help him restock his storage supply."

Louis looked up at her skeptically. "You such a brown-noser in that class," he said as he went back to writing something in his textbook. "Ask Jack. If Holt tells me or Nic one more time how wonderful you are and how you're such a natural at Potions-"

Jack laughed. "He does mention it."

"I can't help that I like Potions," Victoire said as she pulled her bag off of her shoulder and laid it on the ground.

"You love Potions," Whit corrected.

"Who can possibly love Potions?" Louis asked as he made a face.

"I can," Victoire said.

"So much so, that you smell Potions it in the Amortentia," Whit teased.

"She's joking..." Louis said. He looked from Whit to his sister. "Please tell me she's joking and you're not that pathetic?"

Victoire smiled.

"Are you sure you didn't smell Holt?" Jack teased. "Perhaps you're in love with him, and since he happens to smell like potions-"

Whit laughed. "That's what I said, too."

"Yeah, no," Victoire said, shaking her head. "Sorry to disappoint, but it's certainly not Holt."

"Does Stuart Reynolds smell like potions?" Louis asked.

"He doesn't," Victoire said quickly. "And it definitely wasn't him. Why does it have to be someone? Why can't it just be Potions?"

"Because you'd seem far less pathetic," Louis said.

"Well, I suppose I'm just pathetic then because it's not as if I know anyone who walks around smelling like-" She stopped speaking when it hit her. She did know someone that tended to smell like a potions lab. Of course…How had she not put that together? Both Jack and Whit were staring at her as she suddenly started laughing to herself, completely amused that she hadn't realized this sooner. It wasn't the potions lab at all she had smelled at all. It had been Ted. It had been him all along.

"Well, since you admit it," Louis said as he held out his book towards her. "Here, I'll let you do my Potions essay for me since you'll actually take pleasure in it."

"I'll never be that pathetic," she said, still amused by her realization. She glanced around the room and noticed her sister sitting with Sarah Kirke at a table near the window.

"Worth a shot," he muttered as Victoire picked up her bag. She hadn't had a chance to apologize to Dominique yet for the squabble that they had had earlier that morning.

"Going somewhere?" Whit asked.

"I'll be back," she said, crossing the room and approaching Dominique's table tentatively. Sarah noticed her first.

"Hey Vicki," she said. Dominique looked up from what she was doing and then quickly back down again in an obvious attempt to avoid looking at her sister.

"Hi Sarah," she said, only taking her eyes off Dominique for a moment to smile at her. "Hey Nic, can we talk?"

"Talk," she said without looking up from what she was doing.

Victoire exchanged looks with Sarah before she reached down and pulled out the chair across from her sister. She sat and reached around into her bag, pulling out her Potions notebook.

"Here," she said, holding it out towards Dominique, who started at it briefly before looking at her with a stony expression. "You know you want it," she added with a small smile.

"I don't know," she said. "I'd be afraid to open it in case something fell out that would cause you to have another mental breakdown."

Victoire sighed and lowered the book down onto the table. "I'm sorry. I overreacted."

"You're damn right you did."

"You shouldn't have tried to read it, though."

"You should have asked me not to before you came flying at me and yelling that I couldn't," she mumbled as she reached down and picked the notebook up. She opened it and started absently flipping through the pages. "Plus, I didn't see anything besides that it was addressed to Ted, but I saw that before I picked it up off the ground."

"You're right," she said apologetically. "I was just in a weird state this morning. Oh, and hey, you can keep that notebook until Monday. I got out of my Potions assignment, so I don't need it back until then."

"How'd you get out of your work?"

"A few people and I helped Holt restock his storage supplies, so he let us out of it."

"I would have helped that crazy old bugger do that if it meant I didn't have to write this." She gestured to what she was working on.

"I didn't just randomly get chosen," she said. "He picked me because of my work in class today."

"Oh, right," Dominique said in a hoity manner. "I forgot we have the Potions expert over here."

Victoire sighed. "Louis just gave me crap for the same thing. Why is it so bad to be good at Potions?"

"It's the fact that you're good and you oddly enjoy it," Dominique said shaking her head. "Ted and you both were always such potions weirdos." She paused and laughed to herself. "Is that what you were writing to him about that was so top secret? A secret potions lovers code where you all talk about the various uses of salamander's blood on the high holy days?"

"Yes," she said sarcastically. "That's exactly what it was about."

"Well, no worries, Vic," Dominique whispered. "Your secret's safe with me." She looked at Sarah who was watching the two of them with amusement. "Well, Sarah knows too, obviously, but she'll only tell a handful of people."

"Have you got my Herbology notes?" Victoire asked with a smirk.

She reached over into her bag and handed her back her Herbology notebook. "You have no idea how much more information you write down compared to me."

"I think I have a fairly decent idea," she said. "Did you finish whatever you needed it for?"

"I did," she said as a figure approached the opposite end of the table where Sarah was sitting. Both Victoire and Dominique looked at the same time. It was Natalie Young, and Victoire couldn't help but notice she looked like a complete wreck. She seemed skinnier than she had been before, if that was possible. She also looked as if she hadn't slept in weeks. She was wearing far too much makeup and it was noticeably caking up on her face, particularly in the large bags under her eyes. She made very brief eye contact with both Victoire and Dominique before focusing on Sarah.

"Hi, Sarah. I did the first part of that Transfiguration assignment."

"All ready?" she asked. "Wow, um, I haven't even started my part. By this weekend though, I will."

Natalie nodded politely before turning and walking away. Victoire watched her go all the way towards the other side of the room where she rejoined Colleen Lynch and Penelope Shears at their table. Both girls were giggling about something and upon Natalie's return, Colleen said something that made Penelope laugh, but Natalie almost seemed to ignore her. She went straight back to reading her book.

"I can't believe she's done already," Sarah said to Dominique. "Ivanson just assigned us that today and it's a good few hours worth of research and writing."

Dominique rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised she fit it into her precious schedule. I'm so glad I wasn't partnered with her."

"I'm not if she's already done her half," Sarah said. "I can promise you Eleanor hasn't done hers, and you haven't even thought about yours."

"I'd still rather not be with her," she said. "She's completely cracked this year. Miserable to be around. Not that she was ever really a treat."

"Go easy on her," Victoire said as she continued to watch her from across the room. She looked so vacant just sitting there. When she had been with Louis she had always seemed so pleasant and friendly, if not a little flighty. Now she looked all but dead in the eyes.

"Why?" Dominique asked. "After the way she went off on Louis, I don't even have to pretend to like her anymore. You know, she's always annoyed me since first year. I only ever tolerated her because you," she pointed at Sarah, "were friendly with her, and because Louis seemed to have a thing for her."

"She seems sad," Victoire said, looking back at her sister.

"I don't see why she should be," she said as she turned back to her work. "She's got everything she ever wanted in becoming friends with those tarts. Filled your place nicely, wouldn't you say?"

Victoire sighed, not feeling particularly interested in biting on Dominique's attempt to goad her. She shook her head sadly. "I just know how she feels. Except I was smart enough to know when to get out. I had other people to turn to and keep me balanced. Who does Natalie have?"

"Colleen, Penelope, and Aspeth," Dominique said obviously.

"They're not really her friends," she said. "They're less friendly with her than they ever were with me."

"I did hear Colleen and Aspeth saying some particularly rude things about her in the toilets the other day," Sarah said with a small frown. "I felt bad because she and I used to be friends, but when she started hanging around with them, she suddenly became so distant and cold, like she didn't want anything to do with me because she'd moved on to better things." She sighed. "She's been nicer to me lately, which makes me think she's had a falling out with them."

Victoire frowned, but Dominique merely shrugged. "She made her bed. Now she can lie in it."

"It's not always that cut and dry, Nic," Victoire said.

"For those of us with common sense it is," Dominique said lazily as she started back on her essay. "Sorry, but I just don't feel sorry for her."

Victoire watched her for a few moments before turning back and glancing at Natalie. An overwhelming feeling of sadness suddenly swept over her the longer she watched. Natalie really didn't seem to have anyone outside of those girls now that she had alienated all of her other friends for them. Victoire couldn't help but be reminded of how lonely and depressed she had been at the end of last year when she had been in a similar position. When you all but run off the people who care about you, and the only people left don't give a damn about you either way, the world became a very lonely place.

As the weeks passed, the weather was warming and the grounds were repairing themselves after a long and harsh winter. On this evening in particular, Victoire's mind was drifting to thoughts of how in just a little over a month's time, she would be able to enjoy the sunny weather and beautiful beaches of Marseilles. She could go out on her Uncle Stéphane's boat and enjoy his and her Aunt Gabrielle's beautiful seaside home. She could play with her young cousins, Corinne and Aimée. She smiled as she closed her eyes and thought of swimming and lounging in the sun. The warm weather, the sun, the beach…

"What are you thinking about?" Whit asked as she suddenly reminded Victoire that she was still in fact sitting in the common room trying to sort through a Transfiguration assignment.

"Nothing really."

"You're smiling awfully wide for nothing."

"I was thinking about going to France next month," she said as she glanced over at Tom Haines who was sitting next to her. She was waiting for him to finish his work so she could check it.

"Ah," Whit said from across the table as she and Davina Sharply exchanged assignments to check over. "Yes, I'm already pretty jealous."

Victoire grinned. "It'll be nice just to get away from it all. My aunt lives in this huge and beautiful house off of the Mediterranean Sea. She married this man four years ago who was already wealthy and they live this glamorous lifestyle. It's amazing."

"Sounds like it," Whit said as she began reading over Davina's work.

"One more month," Victoire mumbled to herself. The phrase one more month had become a mantra of sorts for her. She thought of it constantly when she wasn't busying herself thinking about school, Ted, or dreaming about France. The thought of being done with her second to last year of school and of being one step closer to finishing made the hours and hours she was putting into studying worth it.

"Ugg, I've gotten a lot wrong," Davina said as she observed Whit checking her work.

"It's not a big deal."

"My parents want me to do well in this so I can work at the Ministry," she mumbled. "I need the N.E.W.T. in this class."

"Whatever I end up doing," Victoire said as Tom finally finished what he was doing and handed his work to her. "It will have as little to do Transfiguration as possible."

"What do you want to do when you finish school?" Davina asked.

"Not really sure." She checked Tom's work against hers. "You missed one of the key elements in question three, Tom."

"I did?" He took it from her to inspect it for himself. Victoire turned back to Davina.

"My parents both work for Gringotts and I have no interest doing that," she continued. "Something with potions would be interesting."

"Healing, maybe?"

"I've thought about it, but I'm just not sure," she said. "I'd be afraid I'd be wrong about something and someone would die."

"I'm going to work at the Magical Creature Division at the Ministry," Tom said absently, still reading over his work.

"What about you, Davina?" Victoire asked.

"I'm thinking about opening a shop or something," she said. "Nothing else really interests me. I'll probably end up at the Ministry like my parents, though."

"I have no interest in following in my parents' footsteps," Victoire said. "Working with goblins alone would unnerve me."

"They used to scare the shit out of me when I was a kid," Tom said, lowering his paper down. "Who am I kidding, they still do."

"What do you want to do, Whit?" Davina asked.

"Once I finish?" she asked. "I'd like to be part of the Wizengamot one day, so something in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is something I'm looking into."

"Like an Auror?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that," she said. "Something more within the Council of Magical Law."

"I never knew that," Victoire said. "My Aunt Hermione is involved in all of that, if you ever wanted to talk to someone about it. I'm sure she'd love to share her experience with you."

Tom smirked. "Nice name drop."

"Oh, knock it off, Tom," she said wearily. "I can't help it that people happen to know so much about my family."

"My Uncle's Harry Potter," he mocked in a high pitched voice.

"Yes, because I go around saying that all the time," she said, getting annoyed. "You know you can be exceptionally obnoxious when you want to be."

"I'm just kidding, Vicki," he said as he looked at Davina and Whit for support. Both of them just stared at him and he seemed to realize he was on his own. "Well, I think I'll take that as my cue to call it a night," he said as he began gathering some of his things. "I can only do so much Transfiguration in one day anyway."

"Hey Vic," said Dominique in an overly friendly manner as she approached the table just as Tom was leaving. "My favorite sister."

"Your only sister," she said, turning her attention away from Tom. "What do you want?"

"Can I borrow your Potions notes once more?"

"Again?"

"Not for long," she said. "In fact, just for a few minutes. I need to check something."

"Fine, whatever." She pulled out her notebook from her bag and handed it to her. She wasn't in the mood to argue.

"You're the best," Dominique said as she plopped down in Tom's now vacant chair.

"Why don't you check your textbook?"

"Because you make it simpler," she said. "Plus, I just needed a break."

"From what?"

She didn't look up from what she was reading, but pointed in the general vicinity of a corner of the room. Victoire followed her finger and saw Sarah, Eleanor, and Natalie all sitting together working on something. She turned back towards Dominique. "Aren't you overreacting? Natalie is not that bad."

"Right," she said sarcastically. "Hey, you should be happy I didn't just get up and leave like Louis and Jack did when Sarah invited her to work with us. I, at least, waited a few minutes. Sarah has to go feeling sorry for her..."

"I feel sorry for her, too," Victoire said. "I mean, god forbid Ted or any of you decided I wasn't worth knowing after I came around and realized I'd made some poor decisions in friends."

"You're my sister."

"So, if I wasn't?"

"If you weren't, I don't think either of us would have much to do with each other," she said. "Our differences in personalities don't exactly spell out best friends."

"Do you really think that?" Victoire was taken by surprise at hearing this. It was true that she and Dominique couldn't be more different if they tried, but she'd never really thought about the fact that if they weren't blood related, they would most likely live completely separate lives with little or no interaction.

"Sure. I think it's funny that you think we would."

"I don't know," she said. "I've always thought that even though we're different, we still had stuff in common."

"Like?"

"We both love mum's chocolate soufflé."

"Everyone loves mum's chocolate soufflé."

"I love your mum's chocolate soufflé," Whit added from across the table.

Dominique gestured to Whit. "See."

"There's other stuff," Victoire said. "That was just an example. You can't expect me to come with a bunch on the spot." She paused to think of more. "You and I both prefer my notes."

Dominique laughed. "This is true. If that doesn't say soul mates, I don't know what does."

"Hey Nicki," said Sarah and she and Natalie appeared on Dominique's side of the table. "We're almost finished with our part and we're just having a problem with this last part if you want to help. Do you want to see what we've done?"

Dominique looked at them both and threw a particularly annoyed looked at Natalie. "No thanks, I'm figuring it out on my own."

"You're figuring it out, or Victoire's notes are figuring it out?" Sarah asked. Dominique wasted no time now sharing her annoyed look with her.

"Are you sure?" Natalie asked in an attempt to sound helpful. It was obvious that she was trying her hardest to gain some sort of tolerable acceptance from Dominique. Victoire almost thought she looked like a puppy.

"Perfectly sure," she said hastily. Natalie quickly lowered her eyes down to the ground looking dejected.

"What do you all have left to do?" Victoire asked Natalie specifically. She felt that at least one of the Weasley sisters shouldn't go out of their way to be rude to her.

"Just a short essay on various draughts," Natalie said. She seemed surprised to hear Victoire actually addressing her.

"If you need any help, let me know," she said to her and Sarah. "I'm weird and I enjoy this sort of stuff."

Dominique had now turned her annoyed look around on her sister, but Natalie smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Victoire."

"I've got a lot of information on draughts in my notes, here." She pointed to a book sitting in her sister's lap. "So, if you need the extra help-"

"Vic…" Dominique said.

"You're all working on the same thing," she said. "Why should you be the only one I help?"

"I'm your sister," she mumbled.

"And apparently that's it," she said as she took her notebook and handed it to Sarah. "Just get it back to me."

"Thanks, Vicki," Sarah said, looking at Dominique. "There's not enough room here to work, so let's take it back to where we were before."

"Oh, joy…" Dominique said, glaring at her sister as she stood from the table. Victoire smiled back at her.

"Play nice, Nicki. There's no need to be unnecessarily rude to someone who's making the effort to be nice."

Whatever Dominique mumbled in response, Victoire didn't hear it. She assumed it was probably better that way since she looked none too happy to be marching back across the room.

Whit smirked. "You're evil."

"She needs to learn not to be such a bitch," Victoire said. "She's acting like Colleen. Natalie is obviously trying to make amends and she won't even hear it. The reason she's so annoyed with her is because she won't let herself be anything but annoyed with her. Natalie didn't even do anything bad enough to deserve such an attitude. I mean, she broke up with Louis. It happens. He's moved on, why can't Nic?"

"Well, Louis doesn't exactly seek out Natalie's company, but I see what you mean."

"He doesn't have to," she continued. "But he doesn't go out of his way to be rude to her. He just ignores her. I really think Nic uses the whole thing with Louis just as an excuse to be mean to her."

"No one's perfect."

"Don't I know it…" Victoire sighed.


	22. Things Overheard

After breakfast, Victoire walked quickly through the corridors towards the common room in an attempt to get back as fast as possible. It was Saturday and a welcomed day off was much needed. Most students had headed straight outside to spend their day while others had gone straight to the library and to their various common rooms. O.W.L and N.E.W.T exams started in just one week's time.

"Study hard," she said to the portrait of the fat lady before it swung open to let her pass through to the Gryffindor common room. It was quiet inside with most people's heads tucked inside books. One boy in particular literally had his head in his book, seeing as he had fallen asleep on it.

She made a beeline straight for one of the empty arm chairs and plopped herself down. She reached into her bag and pulled out a letter she had received that morning from Ted. It had been awhile since she had last heard from him and upon recognizing his untidy script on the outside of the letter, her heart had leaped. She wasn't really sure why since she didn't expect it to say anything particularly exciting, but as she fidgeted with opening it, she hoped it would.

_Vic,_

_Because it should be said, I'm so sorry this is so late. I'm a prat._

_Thanks for the birthday greeting. It was good overall. I didn't get back from Russia until the day after, so I spent it over there but me and few of my coworkers had an enjoyable time celebrating, I guess. When I got back, Simon and some people insisted we go out, then Harry and Ginny had a little thing for me with the kids and then my Grams made me a cake. Have I ever told you my Grams can't bake? Either way, I've done my fair share of celebrating. I think I can save some from this year and trade it in for next year. It would have been fun if you could have been there though. I'm holding you to your claims of getting me a present…Not that I care, but just because I think you'll forget. We shall see._

_What day are you going to France? You'll have to let me-_

"I'm not sure," said a loud voice that rang out over the common room, causing Victoire to look around the back of her chair to see where it was coming from. Colleen, Penelope, and Natalie had just entered. They were now being thrown several dirty looks from people trying to work, but they continued loudly laughing and talking all the way across the room until reaching a table within ear shot of where Victoire was sitting.

"I think you're cute together," Penelope's voice said, slightly lower than it had been before. Victoire continued to watch them from her obscured spot where she was being hidden from view by the back of her armchair. Colleen was looking impressively put together today and seemed to have a glow of sorts about her. Natalie, however, seemed to have resumed her gloomy and quiet demeanor. They had sat for only a minute before and Natalie had already managed to pull out her work and engage herself in it.

"Of course we are," Colleen said as Victoire leaned back in her chair to hide herself entirely. "I've been saying that for years."

"So, you're officially together, then?" Penelope asked.

"What are you working on?" Colleen asked snottily.

"Potions," said Natalie.

"Wait, is that…? Let me see that." Colleen suddenly laughed. "And yes, I would say it's official."

"Did he say it was?" Penelope asked. She had suddenly started laughing, too.

"What are you doing?" Natalie asked in an agitated way. Victoire couldn't help but wonder what was going on, but she didn't want to chance revealing herself by looking.

"Oh, lighten up," Colleen said. "You've been so annoying lately. I don't even know why we hang out with you."

"You're avoiding my question," Penelope said, laughing again.

"He would if I asked him," she said. "You've seen the way he and I have been together. I swear we're fooling around every other second of the day. He can't keep his hands to himself."

"I know he obviously likes you," Penelope said. "I just wanted to know if it was official, official."

"You're too concerned with labels, Penny," she said. "Oh, look at this. This is funny."

"Don't act like you're not thrilled to have won him from-" Penelope stopped and suddenly started howling with laughter. Victoire could see several of the people sitting in front of her glare across the room towards them.

"Shhhh…" Colleen said, still laughing. "And won him from whom? Little Miss Perfect?"

"Is that what we're calling her now?"

"No, we're calling her this," Colleen said as she and Penelope laughed again. This time they both made an effort to stifle their laughter in a desperate attempt to be quiet.

"Stop it!" said Natalie. The sound of shuffling and movement quickly joined in with Penelope and Colleen's giggles. Seconds later, Victoire could see Natalie storming towards the portrait hole.

"Good," Colleen said. "I was wondering how to get her to go away."

"I know. She's so annoying," Penelope said. "We really should just tell her to stay away from us."

"We should. She's not worth keeping around anymore," Colleen said. "She's served her purpose. Although, I do like her doing my little odd jobs."

She and Penelope both laughed again; this time much quieter than before. Once their laughter died away, it was silent for a few moments. Victoire strained her ears trying to hear if they were whispering or not. She had a feeling that they had been talking about her.

"And as if that little bitch ever really had a chance," Colleen mumbled. "Did you really ever think that she could pull him before I could?"

"I thought he could have gone either way for a minute there," Penelope said. "It seems like she just gave up."

"Because she knew she obviously couldn't win him over me," Colleen said. "He gave up on her first, though. I mean, perhaps a few months ago he may have been interested a little, but I knew by Valentine's Day that she didn't have a shot. After that Hogsmeade trip."

"He invited her to his party."

"He invited a lot of people," Colleen snapped back. "He invited practically everyone. She was just one of many. He made his choice that night if you don't remember."

Victoire pursed her lips. So they were talking about her. Colleen and Stuart must be finally together and she was gloating. This wasn't surprising; she didn't expect anything less from Colleen. However, she no longer had any desire to deal with her. She wanted to move beyond that. In a month's time, she'd never have to see her again.

"She's probably jealous as all get up," Penelope added. "I mean, she's fancied him for ages."

"Probably?" Colleen laughed. "You know she is. I haven't even seen them speak in who knows how long, so you know she's got to be devastated. She's completely avoiding him."

"Right…" Victoire whispered to herself before rolling her eyes.

"She probably cries herself to sleep," Penelope said with a short laugh that was abruptly cut short. "Oh, shhh…we have to be careful of what we say now."

"Why?"

Victoire wondered why as well, but glancing towards the portrait hole answered her question fast enough. Louis, Jack, and Whit had just walked in.

"Just keep your voice down," Colleen mumbled.

"Why does her brother have to be so bloody attractive?" Penelope mumbled. "Oh, the things I could do…"

Victoire screwed up her face upon hearing those words come from Penelope's mouth. She probably would have a similar reaction had anyone said the same thing about her little brother, but Penelope especially made her cringe.

"Yeah, well, I told you that would never work itself out, what with him being Victoire's brother," Colleen said. "You didn't want to listen."

"Yeah, I know."

"Plus, he's a fifth-year," Colleen said.

"There's no one else left in sixth and seventh," Penelope said. "Between me, you, and Aspeth…"

Colleen suddenly laughed. "You have a point." She paused for a long moment. "I really don't want to study for Charms."

"I'm going to fail it anyway," Penelope said.

"Well, I'm not," Colleen said. "So, that means I have to. You can either shut up and help or go find someone else to bother."

"Can we at least study in the room?" Penelope asked. "I can never concentrate down here."

"Fine," she said. "As if it'll actually make a difference for you."

With that, Victoire heard them both shuffling around and chanced a glance towards the stairs leading up to the girls' dormitory. She saw the hem of one of their robes disappearing as she sat up straighter. She stood and made her way across the room.

"Where'd you come from?" Whit asked suddenly once Victoire slipped into a seat across from her. Her brother seemed almost as startled to see her sitting next to him.

"I was over there," she said. "Listening to a fascinating conversation between Colleen and Penelope."

"You were?" Whit asked. "I didn't see you with them."

"I wasn't. I was sitting near them. They had no idea I was there, and since they seem to have nothing better to do with their lives, they talk about everyone else."

"Did they say anything good?"

"Oh, just about how I must be insanely jealous that Colleen and Stuart are now together," she said coldly. "How I probably cry myself to sleep at night and that I never really had a shot anyway."

"You don't cry yourself to sleep do you?" Louis asked.

Victoire glared at him before she shook her head and turned back towards Whit. "So, no, nothing new."

"You didn't say anything to them?" she asked.

"They're not worth it," she said. "Let them think I'm jealous."

"Are you?" Louis asked.

"I was the one who turned Stuart away," she said, crossing her arms across her chest.

He seemed surprised to hear that. "I thought you were like, in love with him?"

"Love is hardly the term," she said slowly. "Anyway, I found myself over him after he drunkenly snogged Colleen."

"Yikes," Jack said as he made a face. "I can't blame you. If I were you, I wouldn't want her sloppy seconds, either. Who knows where she's been."

"At least you took the high road," Whit added with a smile.

"Yeah…" she said distantly. "As much as it pains me. It would have been nice for her not get what she wanted, though. For once."

"Especially after all the dirty tricks she pulled on us," Whit said.

"What dirty tricks?" Jack asked. "What'd she do?"

Whit and Victoire exchanged looks. They still hadn't told Jack that they were convinced it had been Colleen behind the letter he had received several months ago. Victoire didn't seem to see why there was any reason to keep it a secret any longer. She shrugged at Whit, as if signaling that they might as well tell him.

"For one," Whit began, "do you remember the elusive mystery note?"

"Yeah…" he said slowly. Louis had stopped what he was doing to listen.

"Well, Vic and I figured out that it was from..." She trailed off just as the portrait hole opened and in marched Dominique as if she was on a tirade. She was fuming, and half the common room was now looking in her direction as she abruptly focused in on Victoire and marched directly towards her. She threw a book she had been holding down on the table in front of her.

"Look!" she practically yelled. "Look what she did! And you told me to be nice to her!"

Victoire briefly looked down at the book in question before looking back at her sister, confused. It was then that she noticed both Sarah and Natalie enter the room and start towards them before she focused back on the book that everyone else at the table was already looking at. Whit's mouth had dropped as Jack's eyes widened. Louis looked up at Dominique. "Who did this?"

"Who do you think?" she said just as Sarah appeared at her side. Natalie had hung back quite a ways as if hesitating to come any closer.

"She said she didn't do it," Sarah said.

"Oh, of course she said she didn't," Dominique said. "Suddenly you believe everything she says, Sarah!"

Victoire sat motionless, still staring down at what she now recognized as being her Potions notebook. Someone had scribbled all sorts of profane messages and words over several of the pages; calling Victoire every name she could possibly ever think of. Even some she'd never heard. She flipped through several of the pages seeing that the graffiti spanned over almost half of her notes from her fifth year.

"I didn't," Natalie said hopelessly. "Victoire, I really didn't."

"Oh, shut up," Dominique said as she glared at her. "Why don't you stop pretending you're not a bitch?"

"Why would I?" Natalie stammered.

"Because you're mental," Louis said as he now stood up and glared at his ex girlfriend. Tears filled her eyes as she stared back at him.

"I can't believe…" Whit said quietly.

"I don't even know what that's supposed to mean," Victoire said as she flipped her book upside down to read one particular jab.

"That one's popular with Muggles," said Jack. "You don't want to know."

"Just go away!" Louis said to Natalie as the tears suddenly started falling down her cheeks. "And stop crying because you got caught."

"How you thought you wouldn't have gotten caught is beyond me," Dominique added.

"I didn't do it," Natalie said. Victoire looked up at her.

"Who did do it then?" Whit asked.

Natalie sniffled, but said nothing. She looked almost afraid to speak.

"Can't put her on the spot like that," Dominique muttered. "She can't think of someone else to blame fast enough."

"I didn't do it," Natalie repeated, but both Dominique and Louis rolled their eyes. Victoire couldn't help but think it was sweet that both her brother and sister were standing here on her behalf yelling at who they thought had written these terrible things about her. She, however, knew better.

"She didn't do it," Victoire said heavily. She threw the book down into the center of the table and everyone, particularly Louis and Dominique, rounded on her. Dominique's mouth dropped in an attempt to protest as Natalie continued to tremble. "Colleen and Penelope did."

"How do you-?" Dominique began.

She stood and made her way around the table towards Natalie. "They just did it, didn't they?" she asked her. "Just now. Right over there at that table."

Natalie nodded. "I was afraid if I said something-"

Victoire nodded. "I know." She turned back to everyone else. "I could hear them doing something that they found funny while I was listening in on their conversation. This must be it." She turned back towards Natalie. "You told them to stop. I heard you."

"I didn't want you to think I did it," she said through heavy breathing. "I think Colleen saw your name, and she and Penelope just started writing all over it. I'm so sorry."

"Well, you kept them from destroying the whole thing," Victoire said. "So, thanks for that."

She managed a small smile. Victoire took a step back towards the table where both Dominique and Louis were watching her. Louis took an exaggerated breath before he sat back down and pulled the notebook back towards him to scan it for himself. Victoire's eyes met Dominique's.

"So, Colleen did this?" Dominique asked, shaking her head and looking over her brother's shoulder at the book.

"And Penelope," Victoire added. "Let's not forget about her." She lowered her voice so that only Dominique and Louis could hear her. "I really appreciate you two sticking up for me, but don't you think-" She nodded towards Natalie who still hadn't moved from where she had been standing. "I mean, she looks like she's about to crack."

It was in instances like this where one could tell that Dominique and Louis were twins. In almost identical manners they looked at Natalie, tilted their heads ever so slightly to the right, and sighed.

"Sorry," Louis mumbled first before turning his attention back to the book.

"Sorry for accusing you," Dominique said. "But you can obviously see why I would."

Natalie nodded as if she understood. She seemed eager to not be a suspect anymore.

"So, those bloody little tarts did this?" Dominique mumbled.

"It's stupid," Victoire said. "Just forget about it. I'm sure with a charm or two I can take all of this off-"

"No, it's ridiculous,"she said. "Why on earth do they take pleasure in doing this to you? First that rumor last year, all of the bitchy comments, and now this."

"Oh, there's been more," Whit mumbled.

Victoire shot her a silencing look. Now was not the time. Not when Dominique was working herself up like this.

"What else has there been?" Dominique demanded.

"I…" Whit stammered slowly. She was looking around at all the faces that were now staring at her before she settled on Jack's. He seemed as curious as Dominique was for answers.

"Did she have something to do with that note Jack got?" Louis asked. "You were just about to tell us and we had just been talking about her."

Whit nodded, still looking at Jack.

"You knew and you didn't tell me?" he asked.

"We're not positive."

"But at the same time we are," Victoire added. "We think she wrote it to screw with you two so that when Whit came to me upset, I would have abandoned my date with Stuart for her."

"And you did do that, didn't you?" Louis asked. "I remember seeing him there."

"It obviously worked."

"So, she tried to…" Jack said as his tone grew annoyed. "She did ruin my plans for her own bloody game."

Whit laid a reassuring hand on his arm. "It doesn't matter," she said. "We worked it out."

"It's the fact that she's absolutely evil and would do something like that," Dominique said in a disgusted tone. "How manipulative can you get?"

"She made me break up with you," Natalie blurted out suddenly, still standing several feet away from the group. Everyone turned to look at her. She was staring at Louis.

"I knew it," Victoire said to Whit. "I knew it."

"What?" Dominique asked. "How did she make you?"

Natalie was taking short breaths as she approached the table. She was looking directly at Louis as she spoke. "I had always wanted to be friends with them, you know. I thought they liked me, but now I know they were just using me. They started being friendly with me and we were hanging out and they suddenly started telling me that I shouldn't see you anymore. They were just telling me things, things I started to believe, and then the next thing I know they said I had to break up with you if I wanted to be friends with them. Something about how I was too close to Victoire through you, and they couldn't trust me if I was dating her brother."

"Too close to me?" Victoire asked. "What does that even mean? Like I'm an enemy spy or something?"

"I didn't know," Natalie said to her. "She really can manipulate people."

"Oh, I know," she said with a sad smile before she turned and looked at her brother. He was staring down at her notebook, but she had a feeling he wasn't reading it.

"I protested," Natalie continued, "because I really did care about you Louis, but then they said that they'd let me in on too much and if I didn't do it, they'd start spreading rumors about me."

"They are good at that," Victoire said.

"So I did," she said as tears welled up in her eyes again. "And then I found out that they really just wanted me to do it because Penelope fancied you and-" She looked away and sniffled once more. Everyone looked back towards Louis, who was still focusing on the notebook in front of him.

"What a twisted bitch," Dominique said in a barely audible whisper. "She's made a sport out of hurting my brother and sister."

"I don't doubt that she would have eventually made her way to you," Victoire joked. For some reason, all of this information coming out into the open made her happy, as if she wasn't crazy or paranoid for thinking that Colleen really had been doing something all along.

"Oh, I dare her," Dominique said with a menacing expression as she slowly shook her head.

"Well, it's safe to say that if anything strange happens, it's probably Colleen's doing," Whit said, joining in on Victoire good mood. Jack, Louis, and Dominique didn't seem to share their sentiments.

"What the hell did I ever do to her?" Jack said.

"You fraternized with the enemy," Victoire joked. Whit laughed, but Jack didn't. He almost looked at annoyed as Dominique.

"Of course this all has to come out right before exams," Sarah said, reminding everyone of her presence.

"She's right," Victoire said. "All of you, it's not worth getting upset about with your O.W.L.s coming up. Take it from one of Colleen's favorite punching bags."

"You can say that after this?" Louis asked. He pushed her notebook back at her. "Some of this stuff is disgusting, Vic. If I see Colleen or Penelope-"

"Lou," she said. "You won't. This is my problem."

"They screwed with me, too," he said loudly. "And my friends and my sister. No one says this shit about my sister!"

"I'm with Lou on this," Dominique said, crossing her arms.

"Both of you need to relax," Victoire said. "I love that you're there for me, but you've really got to just let this be-"

"Speak of the devil," Jack said.

Victoire turned to follow his gaze. It was at that moment that Colleen and Penelope were both making their way down the stairs from the girls' dormitory; laughing loudly. Louis stood as Dominique took a few steps forward, but Victoire shot out and grabbed at her brother's arm since he was closest to her.

"Lou! Nic!" she said as Jack and Whit stood, too. Whit stood because she seemed afraid of what was about to happen and Jack was eyeing Louis to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. Dominique had already managed to cross half the room.

"You're both worthless pieces of shit!" Dominique yelled as Victoire let go of Louis and darted across the room towards her sister.

"What in the...?" Colleen said. The entire room had turned to see what was going on.

"You heard me!" Dominique yelled. "What is wrong with you?"

"I beg your pardon?" Colleen asked almost nervously. Penelope had taken a few steps back. Dominique was by no means a large girl, but she was as tough as they came. Years of obsessive Quidditch had taught her that.

"You screw with my friends and my family in an attempt to make everyone else as miserable as you are!" she yelled once Victoire stepped next to her. "And the things you said about my sister are absolutely appalling, not to mention utter bollocks!"

Colleen laughed a little. It was certainly a patronizing laugh, but nowhere near confident.

"I'd bet," Dominique continued, "that the only way you could have possibly known that many ways to call someone a whore would be that you've heard it said that many times to you!" She glanced around the room. "Which comes as a surprise to no one."

A general murmur of shock and excitement circulated throughout the common room as some people laughed and others inhaled sharply. Some people turned their chairs around to get a better view.

"Oh, you're one to talk you stupid little girl," Colleen spat. "And I use girl liberally. Have you ever even heard of a hairbrush? Perhaps attempting to not look like a boy?"

Victoire could see Louis make a movement towards them, but Jack restrained him.

"Have you ever even heard of keeping your legs closed?" Dominique yelled back. "Perhaps attempting to not be such a slut?"

Victoire made no attempt to hide her laughter, nor did quite a few people around the room.

"Of course you think it's funny," Colleen said to Victoire. "Sending your rough and tough little sister over here to fight your battle?"

"What battle is that exactly?" Victoire asked. "The one you've convinced yourself we're having in your head?"

"You're so jealous of me is disgusting."

"She's jealous of you?" Dominique laughed. "Have you ever looked at yourself next to her? Hell, take a vote right now around the room and see how many of these boys would have anything to do with you if you didn't constantly put out!"

"You'd love it if I was jealous of you, wouldn't you?" Victoire said. "It's sad that that's what drives you."

"I won Stuart," she said, "and you can't stand to see it."

"Oh, that's obviously why I'm mad," Victoire said sarcastically. "It has nothing to do with the fact that you destroyed my notes by covering it with whatever your particular pet name of the week is. Do tell me, which one is Stuart partial to when he's using you just to score a quick shag?"

Colleen laughed. "Jealousy is not becoming on you, Vicki."

"YOU CAN HAVE HIM!" she yelled. "I've moved on! I've found someone new! Believe it or not, I don't give a shit about what or who you're doing, so you can leave me alone!"

"Better not tell her who the new boy is, Vic," Dominique said as she stared Colleen down. "Because then she'll want him only because you do. All she ever wants is what you have. She's almost obsessed with you."

"You're both pathetic," Colleen said as she turned to walk out. "Trashy and pathetic."

"I'd rather be that than you," Dominique mumbled as several more people laughed. She turned to smile at Victoire when a flash of red light suddenly cut through the air barely missing Dominique. Several people gasped while one girl screamed. Victoire and Dominique immediately reached for their wands as they turned and saw Colleen pointing hers directly at the pair of them. All three of them stood there, wands drawn at each other.

"You really shouldn't have missed," Dominique said as she suddenly yelled "Stupefy!" just as Colleen did. Colleen managed to only barely catch Dominique's spell against her robes, slashing a hole straight through them. Dominique, however, caught it full on in the chest and doubled over onto the ground.

"Expelliarmus!" Victoire yelled as Colleen's wand flew out her hand and bounced towards the wall. She immediately knelt down next to her sister as several other people started flocking around her.

"She needs to learn to keep her mouth shut!" Colleen yelled.

Victoire suddenly felt her blood start to boil with anger. She stood up from her sister and in an instant pointed her want directly at Colleen. "Stupefy!"

Red light flashed and Colleen fell to the floor with a very loud thump. Victoire turned her attention back towards her sister. Louis and Jack were both trying to revive her as they pulled her to into a sitting position.

"She'll be okay," Whit said from nearby, her voice anxious. "She's just been stunned. Someone should take her to the hospital wing."

"Come on, Jack," Louis said as he grabbed his sister under one arm; Jack grabbing the other. Louis gave Victoire a half nervous, half proud smile as he passed her and led Dominique out of the portrait hole. Penelope was now leaning over Colleen trying to get her up as well. Victoire turned towards Whit, who was staring at her in a dazed sort of way.

"I can't believe that just happened."

"I can," Victoire said, slightly out of breath. She smiled a little. "I won't lie, though. It was a long time coming."


	23. Punishments

Victoire sat in a stiff backed chair some hours later staring around Professor Longbottom's office. Her eyes randomly fell on several pictures and awards on the wall; many dating as far back as twenty years. She noted-even from her seat several feet away-a photo of Professor Longbottom about the same age she was now with several other familiar faces. Her Uncles Ron and Harry, her Aunts Hermione and Ginny and a few other people she didn't recognize. One blonde girl in particular reminded her of Dominique as she looked closer. It was in the face and the fact that they both had a scraggly and unkempt look about their hair. Everyone in the photo looked happy and proud, and she could only assume it was taken around the time that Voldemort had fallen.

She glanced to the other side of the office. Shelves and shelves of books as well as many strange and exotic looking plants covered the wall. Some plants were being contained in a large glass case that was padlocked on the side. She was tempted to get up and have a closer look, but the last thing she wanted to do was have Professor Longbottom walk in and see her being nosy. She was already in trouble enough.

The door to the office opened and she turned. Professor Longbottom walked in with Dominique in tow. He looked preoccupied and annoyed, which was something that Victoire had never thought he could really be. He was usually so jovial and friendly with everyone, and always tended to be the calmest and fairest of the heads of houses. However, she also happened to know that he enjoyed spending the weekends with his wife down in London. Being called back to Hogwarts to take care of unruly students couldn't have been his idea of fun.

"Have a seat, Miss Weasley," Longbottom said to Dominique as she did what she was told and sat down next to Victoire. They both glanced at each other before focusing back on him once he cleared his throat. "I'm not going to pretend that when I received an owl from Professor McGonagall telling me I had students fighting in the common room that you two were even in my top fifty names," he said. "Particularly you, Miss Weas-" he glanced at both girls, "Victoire. You've always been very well behaved."

She looked down at the floor.

"Now, Dominique," he continued. "I've had you in here a few times due to verbal outbursts, but you've never resulted in using magic on another student."

"I wouldn't have if she hadn't cast first," she said.

Longbottom nodded thoughtfully as he read off of a sheet of paper in front of him. "Yes, from what I've been told, both of you and Miss Lynch were arguing and she cast first, correct?"

They both nodded.

"And she didn't hit either of you?"

"Not at first, no, sir," Victoire said. "She missed."

"I see." He put the paper down and looked at the both of them. "Why don't you two tell me what happened next?"

Both girls looked at each other, though Victoire made motion to speak first. "Then Colleen still had her wand pointed at both Dominique and me, so we pulled out our wands. Then Dominique and Colleen both cast a stunning spell at each other. It missed Colleen and hit Dominique."

"Yes, that is what several witnesses have said," he said as he started to scratch his head. "And then you disarmed her?"

"I did," she said. "Yes, sir."

"Then what happened?"

"Then Colleen said something and I-"

"What did she say?"

"Oh…" Victoire said, taken aback by the question as she looked at Dominique. "Um, she said something like, Dominique needs to learn to shut up. Something like that."

"And so you stunned her as well?" he asked. "Even though you had just disarmed her and knew she posed no real threat?"

Victoire didn't know what to say. She glanced down at her hands and started wringing them anxiously. "I did, yes, sir."

"I see," he said, picking up his paper once more.

"Professor, you don't understand," Dominique said quickly.

"What don't I understand?" he asked. "Please, make me understand how I can possibly overlook a student stunning another student that they knew was unarmed?"

"She's been harassing my sister all year," she said. "Some of my friends, too." She looked at Victoire. "Show him your notebook."

"Miss Weasley," Longbottom said. "If you were being harassed by another student, why didn't you come to me or any of the staff?"

"I thought I could handle it," she said quietly as she reached into her bag and pulled out her notebook. She held it out to him and he took it reluctantly. The expression on his face seemed unsure of what could possibly be in there to merit this behavior.

"It's in the beginning," Dominique offered as he started flipping through the pages. He stopped once he reached the graffiti in question. His face grew concerned and appalled.

"Colleen Lynch did this?"

Victoire and Dominique nodded. "And Penelope Shears."

"May I ask why she had your notebook?" he asked.

"I had let Natalie Young borrow it," Victoire said. "She's the one who told us for sure that it was Colleen and Penelope, but I also sort of overheard them doing it."

"I'll take this into account when I speak to Miss Lynch," he said as he shut the notebook and handed it back to Victoire. "If you don't know the charm to get that off, I would suggest seeing Professor Flitwick so that he can save your notes. That being said, as horrible as some of those things are Miss Weasley, you know that's no excuse for stunning an unarmed student...or and armed student for that matter."

"I know, sir."

"You should have come and found someone on staff about your book," he continued. "We would have handled this and only Miss Lynch and Miss Shears would be sitting here instead of the two of you."

"Yes, sir."

"Dominique," he said, turning towards her. "I'm told you're the one who instigated the argument in the first place."

"I read what she wrote about my sister," she said. "I was angry."

"Understandable," he said. "Still, there are better ways to handle this-"

"I only used magic in self defense," she interrupted. "After she came after me."

"Again, understandable." He paused. "I can't say I wouldn't have done the exact same thing. However, you're both aware that according to Professor McGonagall's rules that any use of magic in a harmful nature on another student is a punishable offense?"

Victoire nodded as Dominique stared at him apprehensively. "But I never would have had I not been attacked first," she said.

"And would Miss Lynch have attacked you if you hadn't confronted her in the first place?" he asked. "Don't get me wrong girls, I do sympathize. I was put in similar positions as a kid, but there is a time and place for this sort of thing, and this isn't it. The headmistress is all too aware of this and expects a punishment doled out. Miss Lynch's may be more severe than your own, but that's for me to decide."

Dominique took a heavy breath as Longbottom turned to address Victoire first.

"Miss Weasley," he said. "You've had a spotless record until now and, given the circumstances surrounding the matter, I can see why this would have boiled to a head."

She nodded slowly, fearful of the words that were going to come out of his mouth next.

"However," he continued. "I cannot excuse you for stunning an unarmed student for a comment. I can't."

She nodded once more as he turned towards Dominique.

"And the other Miss Weasley," he said. "You shouldn't have started this argument. Had you gone to a staff member like you were supposed to, instead of taking matters into your own hands, none of this would have happened."

"Yes, sir," she said meekly.

"That being said," he continued. "Since you both can't seem to find more productive ways to spend your days off, you'll both be serving detention for the next several Saturdays. Dominique you'll serve three for your actions. Victoire you'll serve four for yours. I'll also be writing to your parents."

Victoire sighed and almost smiled. Four Saturday detentions weren't bad. Writing lines and doing mundane tasks was easy. She had been terrified that she would have been suspended or something that was probably far worse than anything Professor Longbottom had even actually contemplated. She looked at Dominique, expecting her to be as pleased as she was for just getting away with detention. However, Dominique looked as if she was about to cry.

"Nic, what's the matter…?" Victoire asked.

"Starting next Saturday?" Dominique asked feebly.

"Yes," he said. "The next three Saturdays."

"But, professor," she said as she moved towards the edge of her chair. "Next Saturday is the final Quidditch match for the House Cup. Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. If we lose…"

Victoire's mouth dropped as she realized what having detention next Saturday meant for Dominique. It meant no Quidditch. No playing in the final game of the year for something she'd worked so hard on.

"I know, Miss Weasley," he said as his face softened sympathetically. "I can't make an exception though."

"But we don't have a backup Seeker," she said. "And there's no time to train one!"

He frowned as he watched her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't you want Gryffindor to win?!" she asked in a hysterical sort or way that made Victoire's heart sink.

"More than anything," he said. "But this comes straight from Professor McGonagall. I can't give you preferential treatment."

Her eyes filled with tears. Victoire couldn't remember the last time she had seen her sister cry, and knew that when she usually did, it was in complete privacy where no one could see her. She prided herself on not being a crier; rather someone who took everything in stride and could be tougher than the average girl.

"I really am sorry," said Professor Longbottom. He looked as if he meant it.

"Professor," Victoire said. "Could I serve her detention? An extra one, or perhaps extra work?"

"That's kind of you to say, Miss Weasley. You both obviously care a great deal about each other if you're willing to get into fights and take the other's punishment as a means of sacrifice. But really, my hands are tied. I'm very sorry."

Victoire nodded as she looked back at Dominique who was trying her hardest not to let tears come. She was turning red from holding it all in.

"You're both excused," he said quietly as Dominique suddenly stood and walked all too quickly towards the door. Victoire grabbed her bag and hustled after her. She wanted to talk to her, to say something to her to make her realize this wasn't the end of the world.

"Nicki," she said as she almost had to chase her down the corridor. "Nicki…"

"I don't want to talk about it," she said through a sniffle as she headed straight for the entrance hall.

"I know you don't, but you should," she said as she caught up to her and continued walking with her. "I'm so sorry you're going to miss your match. If I could take it all back I would. You were just sticking up for me."

"You told me not to," she said, pushing the front doors open and continuing to walk out onto the grounds. "I didn't listen. It's my own fault."

Victoire stopped and let her walk a few steps in front of her. "Well, of course it's your own fault."

Dominique also stopped abruptly and turned to glare at her. Victoire caught back up and sighed.

"Everything we do is our fault," she continued. "You're hot headed by nature, so no matter what anyone would have said you were still going to do what you did. For that reason it is your fault. That doesn't mean I wish I couldn't take it all back or take the punishment for you."

Dominique rolled her eyes and kept marching across the grounds. Victoire had to run to keep up. It wasn't until Dominique reached the lake and couldn't walk any further that she stopped. Once Victoire caught up, she was out of breath and thankful for the chance to catch it.

"Thank you for sticking up for me," Victoire finally said. Dominique said nothing and continued to just stare straight ahead. "And hey, there's another thing we have in common," she added with a small smile. "We both hate Colleen Lynch. So, that's, what? Three things now?"

Dominique rolled her eyes, but Victoire swore she saw the faintest trace of a smile.

"You know," she continued, "for all the shit we've put each other through, I wouldn't trade you. Not for someone who does enjoy the same things I do or does like to wear clothes that actually fit them."

Dominique looked at her and rolled her eyes again. Victoire laughed.

"Days like today show me why when it comes down to it, I'm really happy you're my sister," she continued. "For all the differences, we're a lot alike. We don't like seeing the other in trouble or sad and want to do everything we can to help them. That counts for Louis, too."

"I guess," she mumbled.

"You know it's true," Victoire said. "Look at how mad you were at Natalie for breaking Louis's heart, or at Colleen for what she's done to me? If someone hurts someone you care about, you're ruthlessly unforgiving. Probably more so than if you'd been hurt."

"But according to you that's not a good thing."

"It might not be," she said. "But it makes those of us you're loyal to know you're really there for us. I mean Nic, I'd hate to have you as an enemy."

She laughed a little.

"It's true," she said, laughing too. "How miserable would that be? Look at poor Natalie, ready to cry every time you look at her."

"You make me sound like such a horrible person."

"To the wrong person, yes," she said, "but to everyone else…" She smiled at her.

Dominique sighed. "I really don't want to miss that match. The team is going to kill me."

"I know," Victoire said as she began to frown. "And I feel like it's really my fault."

"It is." She grinned a little. "The things I give up for you to be a good sister."

"I'll make it up to you," she said honestly as she watched her. She couldn't help but suddenly regret all the times she had been hard on her sister for her style, her big mouth, her opinionated nature. When it came down to it, she was a good kid.

"Well, you can start by not telling me what to do all the time," Dominique said. "Not telling me how I should act around people or what I should wear."

"It's just rude sometimes to be so rude to people-" Victoire began before Dominique's expression made her stop. "Okay, you're right. You're your own person. You don't need me harping on you. If you needed advice, you'd ask."

"I would."

"I just can't help it sometimes as your older sister," she said. "I know how nice you look when you're all cleaned up, and how pleasant and charming you can be when you want to be."

"I know that, too," Dominique said seriously. "But you have to remember, I'm not you, or mum for that matter. That stuff doesn't come natural to me. I'm just me. I don't always want to be charming and I don't care if everybody likes me. The people who do like me, like me for me."

Victoire nodded as she took those words in, almost surprised that Dominique had actually said them. "Fair enough. It's going to take awhile for me to kick the habit completely though, so bear with me."

"I always do."

"I am sorry for being overbearing."

"You get used to it," Dominique said.

"You're not exactly go-with-the-flow yourself," Victoire said with a raised eyebrow.

"And I'm sure you've gotten used to it," she said. "It's what we do."

"It sure is," she said, starting staring out towards the lake. "I really do want us to be friends, Nic. You're the only sister I've got."

"I'd like us to, too," she said after a long pause. "And just so you know, I'll try to help things too. It can't just be you making the effort, can it? I'll try to be a little more…understanding of you, I guess." She laughed. "Or I'll just try not to be a brat. I'll actually give your post back to you when you ask instead of keeping it away and causing you to have a panic attack."

Victoire looked confused for a split second before she realized what she had meant. For some reason, standing here with her sister and feeling almost indebted to her for what she had done, she had the sudden urge to tell her about those letters. If she knew, then maybe she'd understand why she had acted as she had that day. This was the sort of thing that people bonded over. That sisters bonded over…

"About that…" Victoire said uneasily. "Can I tell you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Something you can't tell anyone. Not even Louis."

Dominique stared at her curiously.

"No one," she repeated. "Not yet at least. Not until I'm sure."

"I won't tell anyone," she said seriously.

"You promise?"

"I promise," Dominique said, sounding antsy. "Are you going to pressure me into an Unbreakable Vow or something?"

"No, no…" she said with a laugh. "No, nothing like that." She took a deep breath. "All right, well about that letter. There was a reason I was afraid you would read it."

"Given your freak out, I assumed as much."

"It was because…" she said as her heart started to beat faster. "Well, you see I had written two."

"I saw that, too."

"The one you had grabbed was actually harmless," she continued. "Had I known that, I wouldn't have," she sighed, "done what I did. But I didn't know that. I didn't know which one you had."

She stared at her. "What?"

"Nic, I'm in love with Ted," she finally blurted out.

Dominique's face went blank before a sense of surprise overtook it. She continued to stare at her before she suddenly just started laughing. "Ted Lupin?"

"Do you know another Ted?"

"Teddy Lupin?"

"Call him what you will, it's all the same person."

"And that other letter?"

"It basically was me telling him how I felt," she said.

"I can't believe this." Dominique laughed. "Never in a million years would I have thought you two..." She shook her head. "What does he think? Does he feel the same way? Are you two dating?"

"No. I don't know. I haven't told him."

"But that letter?"

"I never sent it," she said. "I threw it out or buried it in my trunk or something. I don't remember."

"Do you think he does?"

"I don't know," she said. "There are times where I think he might and others I don't."

"And you're in love with him?" Dominique asked. "Actual love?"

"I'm pretty sure," she said. "It's different this time. I've never felt this way about anyone and I think about him constantly." She hesitated. "I even smelled him in the Amortentia. It's almost as if it's been there for awhile, I just didn't realize it."

Dominique laughed again. "You know we always joked, Louis and me, but neither of us ever really thought…" She trailed off into laughter. "Have you even thought about what Mum and Dad would say?"

"No," she said quickly. "I haven't because I've been too concerned thinking about what Ted would say. Which brings me back to reminding you that you can't tell anyone. You promised."

Dominique seemed slightly disappointed to hear this repeated. "I won't."

"Whit's the only other person who knows," she said, "and she hasn't told anyone yet, so you will be highly suspect if I hear someone talking about it within the next few days."

Dominique smiled. "Teddy and Victoire sitting in a tree…"

"Oh, here we go," she said as she rolled her eyes and blushed.

Dominique laughed again before she settled herself and looked out towards the lake. Both she and Victoire were silent as they watched the giant squid bob up and down out towards the center, idly enjoying itself.

"You know," Dominique said after awhile. "The water always calms me down. It reminds me of home and that's a comforting thought. It's weird."

Victoire smiled at her. "Well, that makes four things we have in common."

"I'll tell you one thing we don't have in common." She giggled as she started humming 'Teddy and Victoire sitting in a tree' again.

"What happened to you trying not to be a brat?"

"It's a hard habit to kick," she joked. "You'll have to bear with me."


	24. Red Faced

The waves crashed loudly into the shoreline outside of Victoire's bedroom window as she cast a glance towards the sea. It was dark, but it looked as if a storm was coming. The idea of a storm made her excited. She loved sleeping through the rain and found the sound of it beating against her window soothing and peaceful. The fact that this time tomorrow she would be in France helped matters; knowing that the forecast according to her aunt was nothing but sunny. This time tomorrow she'd already be well worn out after her first day of sun and fun.

She smiled to herself as she thought about two days previously when she had been packing up her trunk and saying goodbye to her sixth year at Hogwarts. It was over! Finally over! Now she was at home packing once more and getting ready to say hello to her French holiday. For some reason, she laughed as she thought this.

She sighed as she looked at her now empty trunk and then around the space of her now messy bedroom. She saved entirely too much and kept her trunk far too cluttered. She realized this after scattering its contents all over her room in an attempt to pack everything. Her robes lay in heap underneath her desk while her books, supplies, and miscellaneous accessories cluttered the floor, the bed, and every other corner of the room. On any normal occasion, she would have been completely horrified to see her room in this state, however, this evening she was far too excited. At seven o'clock in the morning, she had a Portkey waiting for her.

The end of term and her exams had gone well enough thanks in part to her numerous detentions. Sure, her first detention had been with Professor Ivanson where he made her copy lines for four and a half hours, but for every subsequent detention she had been assigned to help Professor Holt, who she knew was particularly fond of her. He let her study in the dungeons for her various exams and only kept her for two hours at a time before saying she was free to leave. He kept her for such little time that Victoire actually chose to stay an hour or so longer so that she could take advantage of the quiet and uninterrupted study time. Also, making her detentions seem longer than they actually were allowed her to spare herself from having to listen to Colleen's Lynch's whining about unfair treatment.

"She thinks that what you and your sister got was unfair," Tom Haines had told her in one of her last Potions lessons, "since she got detention for the rest of term."

"Oh, how horrible," Victoire said sarcastically as she stirred her cauldron. "She's got one more detention than I do. Such a victim."

"Apparently, she's going around telling anyone who will listen that Longbottom is a bastard who favors you and Dominique because he's friends with your family."

"You're joking?" she said. "Yes, he obviously favors us. That's why I had a month's worth of detention and Nicki was forced to miss a match she'd been looking forward to for ages."

"Well, did you hear her and Penelope going on about how great it was to have your sister suspended from that match?" he continued as he concentrated on stirring his own cauldron. "I thought Adams was going to punch them both. They kept carrying on how it was justice served and that they were happy she couldn't play. Neither of them seemed to realize that everyone else was worried we'd lose because of it, but then they said they didn't care if we lost."

She laughed as she watched Tom's potion start to turn into a purplish color. "I bet that went over well."

"They're idiots," he said. "What can you expect? I can't blame you and your sister for going off on 'em. I only wish I had been there to see it."

"People are over exaggerated what really happened," she said. "I had to correct my own cousin the other day because he was telling everyone that Colleen shot knives out of the tip of her wand at us."

"Still," he said with a laugh, "it would have been nice to see them finally get a taste of their own medicine. If you would have made her cry, you would have been my hero."

Unfortunately, making Colleen cry wasn't something she had had the opportunity to do. In fact, she didn't speak another word to Colleen after that day in the common room. They avoided each other like the plague, and only had to endure dirty looks from one another if they happened to be in the same vicinity. A small price to pay to be rid of her for good. Victoire had even run into Aspeth on one of the last days of school and was surprised to see her smile at her and wish her luck before carrying on to one of her own exams. It made her wonder if she and Asepth could have ever been friends had Colleen not been in the picture. Thinking about that thought just made her wonder what else would have been different had she never met Colleen and, after a while, that thought had made her head hurt.

Upon arriving home from school, her parents had both immediately sat Dominique and her down to discuss the 'incident'-as she and Dominique were now referring to it as-at school. They both explained their side of the story and came to find out that Professor Longbottom had actually written a very fair letter to their mother and father mentioning the harassment and various other things he had heard surrounding what had happened.

"I cannot believe you were being harassed by this girl and you didn't tell us," said her mother.

"Mum, it really isn't as bad as it sounds," Victoire said. "And she's finished school now, so she's gone and out of the picture."

"I still don't like that you two used magic on another student like that," her father mumbled. "According to Neville though, you were both punished?"

"He made me miss my Quidditch match!" Dominique said, as if it somehow equated to being tortured. "And we lost! That went over really well, let me tell you."

"And it wasn't even the Seeker's fault," Victoire added. "You think it would have been."

"No, it was the rest of the team," Dominique said, rolling her eyes. "They spent so much time training another Seeker that it's almost like they just decided to stop practicing their own positions. I heard it was a completely disaster."

"Whit told me that Jack said it was the worst game he'd ever played."

Her father and her mother stared at both of their daughters before exchanging looks between themselves. Their expressions seemed to wonder how this conversation had so quickly flipped from being about trouble at school to Quidditch matches. In the end, they both agreed that the girls had been punished accordingly by the school and as Dominique pointed out, the howler that their mother had sent yelling at them in angry French didn't save them any embarrassment. They were both told that they could still go to France, and, upon hearing that she was now back on course to be sunning and swimming, Victoire spirits had been instantly raised.

"Woah…" Dominique said as she entered through Victoire's open bedroom door and looked around at the terrible mess. "What happened here?"

"Unpacking and repacking," she said as she plopped down on the floor next to her trunk and started pointing her wand at her closet. Items of clothing came flying out and started neatly folding themselves inside of her trunk.

"And I thought I was bad," she said. "How much are you taking?"

"As much as I can fit." She grinned just as Louis suddenly appeared behind Dominique.

"Hey, Vic," he said, knocking on the frame of the door. "Ted's here."

Victoire stared at him blankly, wondering if she had somehow misunderstood him. "What? Right now?"

"Yes…?" he said before he disappeared back into the hallway. Dominique grinned a little.

Victoire looked around her mess of a room and suddenly panicked a little. She had written to Ted to tell him that she would be home for three days before she left for France, but hadn't heard any sort of response and had given up hoping that she could see him before she left. She had secretly hoped he may just pop by if he had a free moment, but she hadn't really expected it. She had no reason to think he would, and she certainly hadn't expected him to do so with her room looking like a tornado had spun through it. To make things worse, she was wearing an old "Weird Sisters" t-shirt that had once belonged to her father and a holey pair of jeans. She had even taken a page out of Dominique's stylebook and had thrown her hair up in a sloppy ponytail because she hadn't felt like doing anything with it earlier that day.

"Shit, shit, shit," she mumbled anxiously as she stood up and started looking herself up and down and wondered why she had chosen to wear this outfit of all outfits. "How do I look?"

"Fine." Dominique shrugged. "I actually really like what you're wearing for once. I'd even wear that."

Victoire groaned.

"It's Ted, Vic. He knows what you look like, good times and bad. I doubt he cares."

"I know, but still," she said as she caught herself in the mirror and started absently pushing the fallen strands of hair behind her ears. She moved around her sister and walked out into the hallway before glancing down the stairs. She smiled the instant she saw him, even though he hadn't noticed her yet. He was laughing at something her father was saying as they stood below talking. He looked adorable when he laughed.

"Hiiiii, Ted," Dominique said in a sing-song tone right as Victoire just then took notice of her standing beside her. She threw her a dirty look, but Dominique just continued to smile in a way that showed she was genuinely amused by all of this.

"Hey, Nicki," he said as he looked up at the pair of them. "Hey, Vic."

"Hi," Victoire said with an awkward smile. "Um, what are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Since you're all leaving tomorrow I thought I'd stop by and say hey."

"Oh, how very sweet," Dominique said, still smiling. Victoire elbowed her in the ribs and stepped in front of her.

"You can come up you know," Victoire said as she attempted to sound casual.

"Yes, Ted, come on up!" Dominique added.

"Had your fun?" she whispered to her under her breath. "Go to your room and finish packing or something."

"Oh, I'm all done," she said as she took a few steps downstairs and paused as she met Ted halfway. "My, my, Ted, have you gotten taller?"

"No…" he said with a curious laugh. "Why?"

"You just seem different." She smiled. "Perhaps you're just getting better looking is all."

"Thanks?" he said, sounding confused. Victoire shot Dominique another dirty look while Ted couldn't see, but the second he turned back around, she smiled.

"What's up with her?" he asked.

"It's more like what's wrong with her?" she said just loud enough for Dominique to hear. She could hear Dominique laughing before she disappeared into the kitchen. Victoire turned toward Ted, smiling awkwardly once more.

He grinned and gave her an affectionate touch on her arm. "So, what's up?" he asked. "Packing?"

"Yeah," she said quickly as she gave a nervous start as he touched her. She silently scolded herself for suddenly being so antsy around him and turned to walk into her room where she eyed the piles of notebooks, robes, and other various junk lying around. "Sorry, it's messy."

"I can see that," he said as he carefully stepped towards the bed, trying not to step on anything. He moved a stack of books over and created a spot for him to sit. She smiled as she watched him, but quickly turned herself away and plopped back down on the ground where she had been folding clothes before.

"Are you taking your entire closet?" he asked once he absently picked up a book and started flipping through it.

She grinned. "Not the whole thing, but it's a month in France, I need to be prepared."

"Looks more like a year," he said, leaning back against the wall.

"Well, that would be nice, wouldn't it?" she joked.

"No," he mumbled quickly. "Anyway, who wants to stay in France for that long?"

"I think it'd be enjoyable," she said. "But I'd probably get homesick."

He glanced at her. "You definitely would. You're a ridiculous homebody."

"I'm not that bad," she said as she folded a shirt and placed it in her trunk.

"I cannot count the number of times you came to me at school saying how much you missed your parents, your house, your bed…" He glanced down at the bed. "I can't blame you on that one though because it is comfy. I could easily sleep on this."

She forced herself not to look at him as the thoughts of him, her bed, and him being in her bed started to run away in her mind. She smiled but she just hoped she wasn't blushing. She needed to change the subject. "So, I haven't told you about what happened at school with Colleen Lynch."

He looked at her apprehensively. "Do I want to know?"

She smiled. "I probably shouldn't think this is funny, but-," she paused for dramatic effect, "I stunned her in the middle of the common room."

His jaw dropped and he stared at her skeptically. "You're lying."

She shook her head. "We got in a huge fight. Nicki was in on it, too, and Colleen pulled out her wand and the next thing I know she's firing off spells at us. Nicki gets hit, so I disarm Colleen and she keeps running her mouth and then-," she shrugged and mimicked pointed her wand at Ted, "Stupefy."

"You're serious?"

She nodded.

He stared at her for a long moment before he started to smile. "You are incredible," he said as he started laughing. "Seriously, you are amazing. Good for you. No one in the world deserved it more than she does-"

She felt herself blush as she tuned out whatever else he was saying about Colleen being a bitch and deserving it. She was too busy focusing on the fact that he'd called her incredible. She knew her face was probably giving away every emotion she possibly felt at the moment, given her blushing cheeks, the inability to stop grinning at him like a complete idiot, and her timid body language. As far as she was concerned, she might as well just have, "I'm in love with you" written across her forehead because she couldn't help but think her mannerisms were screaming it.

"Are you okay?" he asked suddenly, looking her up and down. "Your face is all red."

She looked away from him and forced herself to stand. "Oh, yeah, it's just really hot in here. Really, really hot…"

"Is it?" he asked before he tossed the book he had been looking through aside and picked up a nearby rubber ball.

She turned to busy herself in her closet. She wasn't really sure what she was doing, but she just needed a second to gather her thoughts. She could not understand why she couldn't pull herself together. She never had problems flirting and being herself around boys she fancied. She'd never been the nervous type because she'd never seen the point before. Yet here she was…What was wrong with her? If it had been any other guy...

But that was it, of course. She realized this as she grabbed a t-shirt she already knew she wasn't going to pack and started to examine it absently. He wasn't any other guy. He was Ted-the person who knew her better than almost anyone. She couldn't act how she normally did with other boys around him. He'd think she was being mental. So how was she to act? She knew she should say something, but how was she supposed to bring this up?

"So, what are you going to get me while you're in France?" he suddenly asked.

She turned around and faced him. "You want me to bring you back something?"

He shrugged. "Sure. You still owe me a birthday present."

"True." She smiled. "What do you want me to bring you?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you," he said as he threw the ball up into the air and caught it. "You're supposed to surprise me."

"You could give me an idea," she suggested. "If I could give you anything in the world-the entire world-what would that thing be?"

He started to smile and continued to stare at the ball he had been throwing up and down. He opened his mouth to speak, before shutting it. "Nevermind."

"No. What?"

"It's nothing," he said as he caught the ball and shrugged.

"Tell me."

"I can't tell you," he said with a small laugh.

"Since when can't we tell each other things?" she asked, realizing how much of a hypocrite she was as she said it.

"Because," he said with a strange expression. "I'm not sure why I can't tell you, but I just can't."

She stared at him. "What does that mean?"

"I don't even know." He smiled. "Just forget about it. I shouldn't have said anything."

She laughed. "You didn't say anything!"

"And that's my problem," he mumbled as he sat up straight and glanced towards the half open door. "Hey, Louis!"

Victoire turned and saw her brother poke his head into her room. "What's up?"

"Nothing." He shrugged. "Just seeing what you were up to." He suddenly threw the little rubber ball he was holding at him, which he caught.

"Oh," Louis said looking a little confused, but throwing the ball back at Ted nonetheless. Victoire also looked a little confused as she watched them both for a few moments and subtly began staring at Ted. That little conversation they had just had meant something. She wondered what he had been playing at and why he had been so keen on changing the subject so abruptly that he even bothered to call her brother in here as a distraction.

"If either of you break something…" Victoire said as Louis narrowly missed hitting a little clown figurine that sat atop her dresser chest.

"We're not going to break anything," Louis said, shaking his head.

Ted smiled. "Not accidentally at least. Of course, if that ugly little clown thing happens to get hit-"

"Does that scare you, too?!" Louis asked before he laughed and looked at his sister.

"It's horrifying," Ted said, looking over at it. "I swear I've had nightmares about that thing since I was a kid."

"You have not," Victoire said as she rolled her eyes and smiled at him.

"It's his creepy clown smile," Louis mumbled, tossing the ball back to Ted. "It looks demonic."

"You're both making this up," she said. "Papa Delacour bought me that in Paris when I was a baby. I love it."

"Yes, but you're a freak," Louis said as he tossed the ball to Ted and missed him by several feet. The ball bounced off Victoire's desk, nearly missing her lamp.

"Okay, stop," she said. Her brother and Ted both suddenly looked like mischievous children who had just been caught doing something they shouldn't have. Ted snatched at the ball and placed it down beside him as he and Louis both tried not to laugh. "You're both acting like you're ten," she said as she stood up and headed towards the hallway. "Can I leave you unsupervised while I go grab something or should I wait?"

Ted smiled. "We'll be good."

"Try not to break anything," she said, grinning at him before she walked down the hall. She smiled as she realized how good a mood she was suddenly in. She almost felt a little giggly, but she bit her lip and forced herself not to be. She sighed as she grabbed several things out of the hall closet before turning back towards her room. Why did she have to be leaving for France so soon after school let out? She barely even got to see Ted before she left.

Back in her room, Louis and Ted were talking while Louis continued to go through her stuff. He was picking up random things and examining them, which made her nudge him with her foot when she realized what he was doing. "Nosy, much?"

"Do you save every letter ever written to you?" he asked as he held up one of her many letter bundles.

"Pretty much" she said, grabbing the one he was holding and chucked it onto her bed. She got down on her knees and began throwing the last of what she would need in France into her trunk.

"You've always saved everything," Ted said absently from the bed. She glanced at him and noticed he was staring up at the ceiling, presumably at the dark spot that she frequently found herself looking at.

"How do you fit it all in your trunk?" Louis asked as he continued to poke through her things. "Shrinking charm?"

"I'm an excellent packer," she said, faking pompous. "Now where are my sandals?"

"Probably under all of this shit," Louis offered.

She ignored him and disappeared back into her closet. She'd had no reason to wear them in ages, so they were probably buried somewhere in the back. She lit her wand and cast a light onto the back wall to see around all of the boxes inside.

"I'll give you this though, Vic," Louis said. "For someone with so much crap, you really are rather neat."

"Thanks." She laughed as she pointed her wand at the corner of her closet where she thought she saw something that resembled her sandals. She contorted herself uncomfortably around a box to grab at them.

"Hey, Ted, this has your name on it," Louis said as she attempted to reach for her sandals. They were tightly wedged between something.

"Let me see," she heard Ted say as she managed to get one sandal loose. She wiggled her hand just out of reach and barely managed the other as she tugged on them both and began to pull herself out of the closet. She reappeared and held both sandals up proudly.

"Found them," she said with a laugh as she suddenly observed Ted reading over a piece of very crumbled parchment. It took several seconds for her to actually realize what was going on and what he was currently looking at. When it hit her, she suddenly felt an icy panic overcome her.

The letter she had written him for his birthday.

The letter she had promised herself she was going to burn so that no one would ever lay eyes on it was now being read by the one person she had especially hoped would never ever, ever, ever see it. Everything suddenly felt as if it was going in slow motion with the exception of her heart. That was now beating faster than she'd ever felt it.

"Where did you get...?" she said before she lunged at Ted to grab at it. His reaction was quicker though, and his turned his back towards her and continued to read.

"What's wrong?" Louis asked, watching them both.

"You can't read that!" she said as she practically found herself climbing over him to get to the paper in his hands. He was somehow managing to ignore her and focused only on what was in front of him.

"What has gotten into you?" Louis asked as he pulled Victoire back and restrained her. "What does it say?"

"Ted!" Victoire yelled desperately as she fought against her brother holding her back. Louis actually seemed to be struggling to hold her, even though she was considerably smaller than he was.

"It must be really bad," Louis joked, just as Victoire attempted to kick him to get her to let go. He dodged it and stared at her.

"Louis, stop! Let me go!" she yelled as she found herself breathing heavier and heavier. The beating of her heart on top of the now crushing feeling she felt in her stomach as she watched Ted continue to read made her want to be sick.

Louis let go of one of her arms. He was staring at her in a concerned manner. "You're all red. "Vic, are you okay?"

But she wasn't listening to him now. Ted had turned his body back around and even though he was still staring at the letter in his hands, his expression had completely changed from what it had been minutes before. He looked blank and confused. He almost looked as if he was now staring through the piece of parchment.

"Vic, are you okay?" Louis repeated as he glanced between her and Ted, neither of whom were moving or making any noise aside from Victoire's heavy breathing. She suddenly felt as if she wasn't even in the room. She felt as if she was observing this as an outside party somewhere else. She wanted to move, but her body felt numb.

Ted suddenly looked at her, his face a mixture of a lot of things that Victoire couldn't recognize. Their eyes met for only a moment before she felt an enormous desire to run away and not turn back. To do something besides stand there looking like a fool. She yanked her arm out of her brother's grasp and stormed out of the room, down the stairs, and towards the front door.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" her mother asked once Victoire rushed by both her and Dominique.

She said nothing, but shook her head and pulled open the door. She walked outside and found her eyes filled with tears. She quickly darted around to the side of the house to escape. She felt humiliated and couldn't handle seeing Ted again right now. She had to get out of there. A sudden thought of the first place she could go sprung to mind, and with a small pop, she Disapparated.


	25. A Stubborn Nature

Victoire stood on the sidewalk of a quiet suburban street staring between two houses; wondering which door was the one she was looking for. She had only been to Whit's house once before and she hadn't realized how similar all the houses in this neighborhood actually looked. In fact, the only thing that indicated that one of these two homes was Whit's was that Victoire recognized two strange plants that sat on either side of one of the houses. She had remembered looking at the same plants before, but she couldn't remember whether or not the plants had belonged to Whit's family or her neighbor.

She wiped her face and took several steps towards the house on the left. She hoped she was choosing the right one. The last thing she wanted to do was explain to someone why a distraught looking teenage girl was turning up on their doorstep at this time of the evening. She knocked on the red front door and waited apprehensively as she noticed bodies moving around through a nearby window. She shivered suddenly as she heard the door click and open.

"Victoire?" said Whit once she appeared on the other side of the door. "What are you…?" She looked her up and down and suddenly looked concerned. "Are you all right?"

She sniffled. "I've been better. I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

"Not really, no," she said as she stepped aside and gestured for her to enter. Victoire entered and managed to glance into the living room where she noticed Jack sitting on the sofa, wondering what was going on.

"Who is it?" said a woman's voice from some other part of the house.

"It's Victoire, Mum," Whit called back. She was still staring at Victoire.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Victoire said, pointing towards Jack.

"What's wrong?" Whit asked with concern.

She took a deep breath. "He read the letter."

"Who read what letter?"

"Ted read the letter I wrote back around his birthday," she said. "The one telling him how I felt."

Whit's eyes went wide as she turned away and looked at the wall. "How did he find-?"

"He was over at the house," she continued. "I was cleaning out my trunk because I was packing and I had just thrown all of my things on the floor. I forgot it was in there."

Whit's eyes traveled towards the entrance of the living room where Jack had just appeared. Victoire followed her gaze.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

Whit nodded. "You go ahead and keep watching, I just need to talk to her."

"You sure?" he asked as he carefully glanced at Victoire.

"Yeah, go ahead," she said with a smile as she turned back to Victoire. "Do you want something to drink? Some juice or some water?"

Victoire nodded as Whit led her towards the kitchen. It was a bright room, almost startlingly white. Victoire found herself recoiling from light since her eyes were already sensitive from the tears.

"So, tell me again what happened," Whit said as she went about pouring a glass of orange juice for Victoire.

Victoire took a deep breath before she recounted the events that had just occurred; stopping only once to take a sip of her juice.

"And he didn't say anything?" Whit asked as they both sat at the kitchen table.

She shook her head.

"Louis was standing right there, though," she said. "What could he have said with your brother standing there?"

"Anything!" she said, gulping the rest of her juice down. "He just stared at me."

"He was probably shocked," she said reassuringly. "He probably didn't even have enough time to digest what he had read since you left so quickly."

"I've never been so embarrassed in my entire life," she muttered before putting her head down on the table.

"I'm sure everything is fine," Whit said. She reached over and grabbed Victoire's hand. "Honestly. You could probably go and talk to him right now-"

"No…" Her head shot up. "No chance. I wouldn't even be able to look at him."

"Are you just going to avoid him forever, then?"

"I can't do it forever," she mumbled, "but I sure enough can avoid him before I leave for France tomorrow."

Whit's mouth dropped. "You're going to sit on this for an entire month while you're in France?"

Victoire didn't look at her. She shrugged and nodded slowly.

"That's only going to make you crazier," Whit said just as Jack suddenly appeared in the kitchen with an empty glass.

"I'm just grabbing something to drink," he said sheepishly, as if trying to indicate he wasn't there to listen in. "Don't mind me."

"You can't sit on this for a month," Whit said.

"I can't see him right now, either," Victoire countered. "I just can't do it."

Whit watched her. "Well, you're welcome to hang out her as long as you'd like. We're watching a movie and you're more than welcome to join us."

"What's a movie?" she asked.

Jack suddenly laughed as Whit smiled. "Do you know what a muggle cinema is?" she asked. "Where they show films of actors performing various stories for people to watch?"

"I've maybe heard of it," she said in a distracted manner.

"Movies are those films," she continued before she smiled up at Jack. "We can watch them here on the telly. My dad's a nut about it. If you ask him, he'll tell you that his biggest complaint about Hogwarts once he found out he was a wizard was that he couldn't get anywhere near a cinema. So, now he just collects hundreds and hundreds of movies. It's his hobby."

"I still go to the cinema with my family when I'm home." Jack grinned. "It'll take your mind off of whatever seems to be bothering you."

"I'm all for that," Victoire said with a small smile. "You two are sure I'm not interrupting a romantic evening or something?"

"Right," Whit said sarcastically. "My mum being upstairs and coming down to check on us every half hour only adds to the romance."

"Well, I think so," Jack joked as he grabbed Whit's hand and tugged her back towards the sitting room. Victoire stood and followed, happy to at least pretend that she could focus on something besides what had happened earlier.

She never thought it would help, but she was surprised to see how much sitting around with Whit and Jack and watching a madman with an axe chop up various drunk and horny teenagers did actually take her mind off of the embarrassment of her night. She had never seen anything like it and while at first she had been disturbed that someone would even make a movie about such a horrible topic, she soon found herself enjoying the random scares. She particularly found it funny to watch Jack's reaction every time she and Whit were too scared to watch the screen.

"There are four sequels to this," Jack said as Whit currently buried her face into his chest after the brutal final scene, where the killer was decapitated by the man he had been hunting.

"What?" Victoire asked as she pulled off two couch pillows from her head that she had buried herself under.

"I said there are four sequels to this." He looked down at Whit, who was just now looking up.

"But he's dead," Victoire said, pointing at the TV. "How can there be a sequel if he's dead? They killed him!"

"That is the beauty of a horror movie," he teased with a big smile as he pulled his arm out from around Whit and stood up to retrieve the movie.

"Can we do something not so gory next time?" Whit asked.

"We've got to see the next four," he said.

"No, we don't."

"If you do, let me know," Victoire said as she glanced over to a nearby clock. "I'd like to see the other ones."

"Yes!" he said, pointing at her. "Now we have to!"

"Uggg…" Whit groaned as she stood up and stretched her arms. "What time is it?"

"Eleven-thirty," Victoire said as she, too, stood up. "I should probably go. My Portkey to France leaves at seven."

"What if...?" Whit asked as she crossed her arms and started walking her towards the door, "you get home and-"

Victoire sighed. She had already thought about Ted still being there, but she couldn't risk being late and getting in trouble. Her parents were already weary with her after what had happened at school with Colleen. She wasn't going to push them further by staying out late the night before she was supposed to leave for a foreign country. "I'll work it out."

Whit grinned. "Have fun in France. Write to me if you can, and bring me back something nice."

Victoire suddenly thought of Ted asking her the same thing, but forced a smile. "I will."

"Particularly write to me if anything happens," she said with a knowing look.

Victoire turned towards Jack and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks for tonight. Really." She turned to open the front door.

"We'll do it again," he said, leaning against the wall behind Whit. "We've got four more 'Axeslayer' movies ready to go."

Whit groaned as Victoire laughed and disappeared moments later with a pop. It only took a few moments before she found herself on her front lawn. It was raining now and she glanced up towards the second story of her house. It was mostly dark except for the light in her room, which she assumed no one had turned off once she had left. She took a deep breath and made a mad dash towards the house to avoid getting any wetter.

As she opened and shut the door behind her, she noticed her mother and brother first as her mother came charging towards her from the living room, looking angry. Her father and sister were still on the sofa watching what was going on. There was no sign of Ted.

"Where have you been!?" her mother asked. "I was worried sick!"

"I went to Whit's house," Victoire said with a glance at Louis. He was staring at her apprehensively.

"That's what I thought," Dominique said from the living room, "but no one knew where she lived, so we couldn't check."

"You couldn't have owled, Vic?" her father said from the sofa. "You just stormed out and no one knew why. Then you disappeared-"

"She doesn't have an owl," Victoire said, staring around at her family. "And I'm seventeen, I'm an adult."

"No difference," her mother said, her face hard. "You still live under our roof and you will obey our rules."

Victoire made a tutting noise under her breath that she knew she shouldn't have done the second after she did it. Her mother suddenly looked livid, but her father interjected before she could yell.

"How are we supposed to trust you to run around France if we can't even trust you to tell us where you're going when you're at home?"

"You don't trust me?" she asked as she felt her temper rising.

"Vic, stop," Louis said.

"You," she began, now glaring at him, "are the last person to tell anyone to stop doing anything."

"I'm sorry I held you back from trying to do whatever you were trying to do-" he said, but Victoire didn't want to hear it.

"I'm fine," she said in an annoyed manner. "I went over to my friend's house and I'm still home before what my usual curfew is. I'm seventeen, not seven."

"Then act like it!" my mother yelled.

"She's had a rough night," Dominique said quietly. Victoire looked at her. She was surprised to hear support coming from the one person who usually relished in her getting scolded.

"How did she have a rough night?" her mother asked. "All I've heard was that Ted read something that made you upset, but even he said it wasn't anything worth getting upset over."

"Well, if he said it…" Victoire mumbled.

"Victoire Isabelle Weasley!" her mother snapped. "You will not take that tone!"

She stood back and timidly avoided her mother's gaze. "Can I just go to bed, then? I just want to go to sleep and end this night."

"Vic, what happened?" Louis asked curiously, but Dominique nudged him in the side and shot him a silencing look.

"Go straight to bed," her said, "and you had better be completely packed. In the morning, your attitude also better be gone, or else you can spend the next month helping me down at the bank."

Victoire didn't hesitate for a moment; immediately she turned up the stairs. She wished her legs could carry her faster as she reached her room and just managed to stop herself from slamming the door. She looked around at the mess in her room and, as a matter of stress relief, began pointing her wand at various items in an attempt to clean up. She pushed the papers and books into the corner of her room, while her school robes and other accessories all went straight in the closet. She was putting her letter bundles into her drawers when someone knocked on her door.

"Go away," she said before she flipped her wand around on the door and locked it without looking. Whoever it had been, they didn't knock again. However, that didn't stop her from standing there waiting to see if they would. She went to her dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of pajamas before she changed and laid down on her bed. She was just about to turn the light out when someone knocked once more.

"Go away."

"It's me," said Dominique. "Can we talk?"

"I'm really not in the mood."

"I won't bother you for long."

She stared up at the ceiling at the black spot. She rotated her wand around in her hand absently before she pointed it at the door and mumbled, "Alohomora." The door's lock turned, and Dominique let herself in.

"Hey," she said as she entered slowly. "Are you okay?"

Victoire shrugged without looking at her. Dominique edged her way towards the bed and sat tentatively on the edge. She stared at her sister. "So, he found the letter."

"Louis found it," Victoire said, still staring up at the ceiling. "Ted just read it."

"I didn't know you had kept it."

"Neither did I."

Dominique nodded. "Louis has no idea what it said. Neither do Mum and Dad."

Victoire shrugged again.

"Ted just acted like he didn't know why you got upset when Mum and Dad asked," she continued, "but he obviously did."

"Obviously."

"Vic, he waited here for two hours for you to come back. I've never seen him so preoccupied. He was barely paying attention to what Louis and I were saying to him."

Victoire said nothing.

"He wanted to talk to you."

"I didn't want to talk to him," Victoire said sharply. "I don't think I've ever been so humiliated."

"I know," Dominique said. "I told Louis off for being a prat. I mean, who does he think he is going through your things like that?" She sighed. "He feels like crap."

Victoire grinned a little, but said nothing.

"Ted only left because it started to get late," she continued. "I think he felt out of place or that he was imposing on Mum and Dad. I still think he would have stayed all night under different circumstances."

She rolled her eyes. "Right…"

"I really do. I mean, wouldn't you if you had just found out your best friend was in love with you? You'd want to talk to them-"

Victoire cringed.

"Sorry," she said, realizing that this probably wasn't the right time. It was quiet for a long moment until Dominique finally spoke again.

"You do still…?" She hesitated. "You still fancy him, right?"

Victoire kept her eyes shut and nodded. "Do you really think this would be this embarrassing if I didn't?"

Dominique nodded again and patted her sister on the leg. "Everything will be okay. We'll be in Marseilles tomorrow."

"The timing couldn't have been better."

"You're not going to talk to Ted before we leave?"

She looked at Dominique for the first time. "Between now and seven o'clock in the morning?"

"I doubt he'd care if you woke him up."

"I'm not." She sighed. "I just can't see him right now."

"Right," she said before she stood up. "Well, I'll let you get some rest. We've got to get up early." She walked towards the door and turned once more to look back at Victoire. "Night."

"Night," she mumbled as Dominique shut the door behind her. She sighed and stared up at the ceiling once more, wondering what to think. She wondered what Ted was thinking. His face had been so expressionless, so confused. It was certainly not how she had pictured that moment occurring.

She groaned as she flipped over onto her stomach and pushed her face into her pillow. Because she was stubborn, she wouldn't have peace on this matter for at least a month, and even then…then what? What would happen next?

She propped herself onto her elbow, pointed her wand at her lamp, and quickly extinguished the light in the room. She plopped back down and tucked her arms under her pillow, hoping that she would somehow find a way to fall asleep with all of this on her...

Her thought suddenly stopped as she quickly sat up in her bed. Staring into the darkness, she realized there was something under her pillow. She fumbled for her wand and pointed it at her lamp once more. From underneath her pillow, she pulled a small piece of parchment. On it was one sentence written in Ted's all too familiar script: Have fun in France.

She read it twice and even flipped it over to see if anything was written on the other side. That was all he had written. One sentence. One sentence that he had made a point of writing and tucking under her pillow. She stared at it once more before she reached out and set it on her bedside table.

It was going to be a long month.


	26. Fireworks at the World Cup

August 1st, 2017 (One month later)

As Victoire's feet hit the mossy grass, the tin can Portkey they had just traveled by fell to the ground with a thud. She looked around the large campgrounds and found herself completely in awe of the amount of people that were there. She'd never seen so many witches and wizards gathered in one spot before. Her father had mentioned that some people would come out days and days in advance to get good spots, and this was especially evident staring out at the masses and masses of tents that lined up as far as the eye could see. All of this was for Quidditch.

"Wow," said Louis from beside her. "Look at them all."

"I wish we could have come earlier," Dominique said grumpily as she adjusted her knapsack over her shoulder. "I would have had so much fun."

"I'm sure you had just as much fun in France," Jack said.

Victoire smiled at this and thought about the last month she had spent abroad. She had enjoyed herself tremendously as the stress of school, family, and friends seemed to disappear the second they had reached her aunt's home. She had wasted little time upon arriving to start enjoying the sea, the sun, and everything else Marseilles had to offer. Even a sunburnt back - which she received on her first day - couldn't keep her from getting every second of enjoyment out of her holiday. She was determined to escape everything and to not think about anything that was awaiting her back at home. Her seventh year, her impending N.E.W.T.s, Ted…

Just a few days upon arriving, her Aunt Gabrielle had taken them and her daughters to Paris for four days. Her daughters, being only three and four, had never been, and Victoire took extreme enjoyment in watching them react to big city life and culture. She herself would be lying if she said she hadn't enjoyed the experience. It was amazing how different Paris looked now that she was older. She understood so much more and appreciated things she'd barely noticed when she was a child. She had a glass of wine at a street side café and toured museums and shops with a new found enthusiasm. These were things she knew she could easily do at home, but, for some reason, being off in another country and feeling as if she was on her own made it that much more exciting. It made her feel as if she was living someone else's life.

Standing in front of the Eiffel Tower on their last day in Paris, Victoire had managed to wander off on her own. As she stood looking up at the iconic monument, a man less than ten feet away suddenly dropped to his knee and proposed to the woman he was with. She watched with an amused curiosity as the woman started crying and exclaiming that she would marry him before jumping into his arms and kissing him. Several people that were milling around began clapping and cheering as Victoire smiled at the display. What a charming novelty it was to actually witness two people confess their love for one another in such a public way. She turned to let the couple have their moment and stared back up at the tower. She thought about Ted for the first real time in a week and her stomach began to lurch. She had been trying not to think about him because of the sweeping feeling of embarrassment that came over her each time he crept into her thoughts. It was a lost cause, however, for as much as she tried to push him out she couldn't help but find him on her mind...

"Vic?"

Victoire snapped out of her thoughts and turned to see Louis, Jack, and Dominique all starting at her.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine, yeah," she said quickly as she looked out upon the grounds. "So, where are we going?"

"That's what we just asked you," Louis said. "You've got the site number and the map."

"Oh, right." She fumbled into her bag for the information in question and handed it to Louis. He began investigating the map.

"It's this way," he said, pointing to his left. "Come on."

Louis and Jack headed off towards the grounds and began talking excitedly about the following day's match. Dominique, however, who would usually be the first person to take part in any Quidditch conversation, hung back and continued staring at her sister. Victoire stared back for a brief second, but said nothing before she began following the boys towards camp. She had a feeling she knew what was on Dominique's mind, and she had no interest in pushing the subject.

"You're nervous aren't you?" Dominique asked as she caught up to Victoire. "To see him."

"Obviously a little."

"Just a little?" she asked. "I would be more than just a little-"

She shot her an obvious look.

"That's what you were just thinking about, wasn't it?" she asked.

"You're awfully nosy this morning."

She ignored her. "What are you going to say to him?"

"I don't know."

"Don't act like you haven't thought about this moment for the last month."

"I haven't really," she half lied. She hadn't thought about this specific moment for the last month. She had only been thinking about it over the course of the last two weeks. She had spent the majority of the first half of the month trying to force Ted out of her thoughts and reliving the letter incident with extreme embarrassment.

"You're a poor liar."

"I really don't know what's going to happen." She sighed. "I mean, for all I know he thinks I'm a complete idiot, so I may not have to say much." She kicked a small rock out of frustration and watched it bounce up the path. "Well, nothing other than I've moved on since then so he doesn't have to worry."

"You haven't moved on though, have you?"

"I will have if he tells me how uninterested he is," she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Dominique said before Louis yelled back at them to keep up as they continued to make their way through the campsite. The match between Argentina and Italy was taking place the following day, and the fans and supporters were out in droves. People were sitting outside of their tents in their various team colors, waving flags, chanting and singing with fervor. Victoire watched a group of older Italian wizards sing merrily as she passed their tent and one man in particular wolf whistled at her and sister. She and Dominique chose to ignore them though, and continued walking further into the grounds.

"Well, hey, I'm here for you, you know," Dominique said suddenly as both she and Victoire watched a group of Argentinean witches start a large fire in front of their tent. "If you need someone to talk to."

She smiled. "Well, I appreciate that."

"I own you one," she continued. "You helped me defend my hair to mum when she went mental." She absently reached up and ran a hand through her now very short hair. It was while they were in France that Dominique had decided to chop off almost all of her hair into a stylish pixie cut that she had seen being sported by women all over Paris. She had commented several times how much she liked the cut, but it wasn't until she was encouraged by a French boy she had met while in Marseilles that she actually cut it all off.

Once their mother had joined them for their last week in France, however, she hadn't been as excited as Dominique was. Horrified that Dominique would cut off all of her hair, their mother and Gabrielle had actually gotten into quite the argument once their mother accused Gabrielle of letting Dominique run wild. Gabrielle then claimed that Dominique was sixteen and she could do what she wanted to with her own hair, to which Victoire agreed. She had sided with her aunt and stood up for her sister not only because the look suited her, but because of how confident it had made Dominique feel. Victoire had never seen her sister happier about the way she looked and she hated seeing their mother disagree so adamantly. She hated it because of how upset it had made Dominique.

"I told you mum would come around, though," Victoire said as she thought about her mother finally apologizing for overreacting. "It looks good on you."

Dominique smiled as they caught up to Louis and Jack. They had stopped to look around and were now referring to the map to get their bearings.

"They should be around here given what they sent you," Jack said, his eyes traveling from tent to tent. "Which site is 457?"

"Wait, there they are," Louis said, pointing further up ahead where two tents stood. As soon as he said it, their grandfather and Aunt Hermione became instantly recognizable as they stood in front of the larger of the two tents attempting to light a fire. At that very same moment, several of the children burst out of the tent in a fit of giggles and began running off into various different directions. Hermione called after them to stay put, just as Lily noticed the new arrivals and began running towards them.

"Look who's here!" she yelled as everyone turned to see where she was headed. She ran straight to Victoire and wrapped her arms around her waist before glancing up at her and smiling. "You're so tan!"

"The sun does that," Louis joked before they were now joined by an out of breath Albus and Hugo.

"How did you get so tan?" Hugo asked.

"They went on holiday," Hermione said, catching up to the kids and tousling her son's hair affectionately. "You do look very healthy and brown, don't you?"

"This is my friend, Jack," Louis said as he pointed to Jack, who smiled. "This is my Aunt Hermione and some of my cousins. You'll never remember half of the names, so I won't bother."

"It's nice to meet you," Hermione said, shaking his hand before glancing towards Victoire and Dominique. She suddenly did a double take upon seeing the latter.

"Is that Nicki?" Victoire could hear Albus whisper to his sister, who was also staring at Dominique with a surprised expression.

"Nicki, I didn't even recognize you!" Hermione said as she walked towards her as started examining her hair. "Look at you!"

"I was feeling bold."

"It's certainly bold," she continued. "It suits you though, very much." She smiled at everyone else. "Come on all of you. Let's get you settled."

"Why'd you cut your hair all off?" Victoire heard Albus asking from behind her as she decided to hurry and catch up with her aunt.

"How long have you all been here?" she asked her.

"Just a few hours ago," Hermione said. "We got an early Portkey. Harry and Ginny have been here since yesterday because she's got interviews and pre-match coverage to do for the Daily Prophet. It's more work than a holiday for her."

"I would love Aunt Ginny's job," Dominique said as they were greeted by their grandfather, who was trying to teach James and Rose how to start a fire the Muggle way.

"These things are called matches you see." He held up a matchbook. "You take this end here and strike it against this part and-" He attempted to light a match unsuccessfully. "Oh, wait, that's not right."

"Here grandpa," Rose said, offering to help.

"How do you know how to…?" he asked as he watched his eleven-year-old granddaughter strike the match and drop it into the kindling. James laughed.

"Rosie, I don't like the idea of you playing with matches," Hermione said.

"I've seen grandma and grandpa do it before at their house," she said, looking at her mother before turning back towards her grandfather. "My grandma and grandpa Granger, that is."

"Observant this one," Arthur said fondly before turning to James. "Here, now you try, James. Be careful, though."

"As for you four," Hermione said once Victoire turned her attention back towards her, "we've got two tents and we should have plenty of room. This one here," she pointed to the larger of the two, "has four bedrooms. Harry and Ginny, Arthur, George and Angelina all have one and then boys can split themselves up between the last room and the living room." She pointed to the smaller tent. "This one has three bedrooms. Ron and I, Charlie, and the girls will stay in here. Charlie's already offered to take the sofa, but we'll work that out."

"Where is everyone?" Victoire asked with a quick look around. It wasn't that she was so concerned with where everyone was, just with where someone in particular was.

"Let's see," Hermione said. "Ginny's down working at the arena as I said, then Ron and Harry are off helping with security and making sure people are settling properly. Charlie went with them. George and Angelina and the kids won't be here until this afternoon and…that's everyone, right?"

Victoire hesitated asking, but her curiosity got the better of her. "Is Ted coming?"

"Oh, Teddy, right," she said once she realized. "He's here somewhere, I think. Harry said so, at least."

"He's camping with his friends," Albus said as he was now learning how to light matches under the watchful eye of his grandfather.

"But he came by here for dinner last night," James added. "He might come by tonight too, but I don't know."

"There you have it," Hermione said with a smile that Victoire quickly returned before she noticed Dominique watching her. She avoided her eyes and instead preoccupied herself with pretending to look for something inside of her knapsack. So, Ted had decided to camp with his friends, then. Was that because of her? She couldn't think of any reason why he wouldn't choose to spend the extra time with Harry and his family, yet here he was spending it elsewhere. The only explanation that made sense was that he knew she would be here and was avoiding her.

"So, who's everyone rooting for tomorrow?" Jack asked no one in particular.

"Italy!" said Albus with a wide smile. "They've got Sabatino and he's incredible!"

"Sabatino can fly," Dominique said, "but he's pretty much the whole team. Argentina's chasers work so well together it's as if they have one brain."

"Italy is all show and no substance," Louis mumbled as the smile on Albus's face began to disappear as he listened to his older cousin.

Jack shrugged. "I like Italy. They made it this far. They've got to be doing something right."

"Me too," Victoire added, noticing Albus's smile once again beginning to grow. He was nodding enthusiastically.

As the day drew on, Victoire couldn't understand how some people had been doing this for days already. After exploring the grounds for several hours, she had run into several of her friends from school - including Stuart Reynolds, who she couldn't help but notice was sans Colleen. She had had several groups of random witches and wizards explain to her why she should cheer for their team - most of them seemed as if they'd already been heavily partying - but most amusingly was the attire she had seen on so many of the people walking about. She had grown up in a wizarding family, yet she's always known how to dress properly as a muggle when necessary. Some wizards it seemed were never taught these little details. It was never more apparent than when an elderly witch walked by their camp in a tuxedo jacket with tails and a plaid skirt that fell to her ankles.

"Someone got dressed in the dark," Dominique muttered as they sat on a nearby log watching people pass while dinner was being prepared.

"Something tells me she could have dressed in the light and it wouldn't have mattered," Ron said as he and Harry began setting up for dinner.

"I wonder where George is," Ginny said as she emerged from the tent having just got back from the arena. "He said they'd be here around five."

"You know how George is," Ron said. "He'll take his time and, once he does get here, he'll probably run into a hundred people he knows and we won't see him until eight or so."

"He's got the kids with him, though," Charlie added as he started opening cans of beans. "He wouldn't drag them about-"

"Is that what we're eating?" Albus asked suddenly, having run up and peered into the cauldron after returning with the other kids from throwing the quaffle around in a nearby clearing. "It looks gross."

Ginny sighed. "Al, you love beans. You've decided today that you don't like them?"

"Maybe," he said with a perplexed expression. "I think I don't."

"Just like last weekend when you decided you didn't like eggs," Harry asked.

"And then you decided the other day that you do like eggs again?" Ginny added and she and Harry exchanged the same amused expressions.

Albus looked up at his mother and father and seemed to be searching for something to answer with. He was quickly saved from answering due to the sudden arrival of George and his family, who had just appeared amongst Angelina's apologies and George's excuses for their tardiness.

"Just in time for dinner, then?" George asked with a smile as he helped Roxanne take her knapsack off and placed it on the ground. "Good thing, I'm famished."

"Sorry we're late," Angelina said. "We just made the Portkey and then of course we must have run into everyone we knew."

Ron smiled as everyone greeted each other and tried to get all the kids situated and ready to eat. "Told you."

"Do you need any help Uncle Ron?" Victoire asked as Louis and Jack appeared from somewhere and suddenly sat down next to her.

"I think we've got plenty of hands over here."

"You don't want her to help with the cooking anyway," Dominique said. "She's a rubbish cook."

"I'm not that bad," she said as everyone who wasn't helping out began to sit themselves in a large circle around the fire.

"I can't even remember the last time I camped," Angelina said. "Probably the last time the World Cup came to England."

"I remember the last time I went camping," Ron mumbled as he made a face. Hermione looked up at him and smiled a little before turning towards Harry who was sharing an expression similar to Ron's.

"Yeah," Harry muttered. "If I never had to camp again I wouldn't mind it."

"And yet here we are." Ron said with a grin.

"I find myself camping all the time," Charlie said as he started throwing bits of meat into the large cauldron. "This is just another day for me."

"If Mum were here," George began, "she'd say that was the reason you still haven't given her any grandchildren." He screwed up his face and in a passable impression of his mother said, "How are you supposed to meet anyone out in the forest looking for dragons!"

"I think mum's got her fill of grandkids as it is," Charlie said. "She doesn't need me adding to it."

"Oh, we can never have enough," her grandfather said. "We welcome them all."

"I'd like to see you say that on the day we all turn up at the house with all the kids and ask you and Mum to sit for us," George said as everyone else laughed.

As the food finished cooking and began to be served, the idle conversation continued to grow. George recalled several stories about some particularly obnoxious customers that he'd dealt with, while Harry and Ron delighted everyone with amusing tales of some of the crazier things their jobs as Aurors had had them dealing with lately. By mid meal, the conversation quickly turned back to Quidditch, and the children begging Ginny to see if she could arrange a meeting between any of the players and themselves. Victoire couldn't help but laugh when Dominique and Jack joined in.

"So, how is your aunt?" George asked Victoire once dusk slipped into evening and the sky suddenly grew dark. "I haven't seen her since," he paused thoughtfully, "I don't even remember."

"I saw her about three years ago," Ginny said as a sleepy looking Lily rested her head against her shoulder. "Right after Aimée was born."

"Little Gabrielle Delacour has a daughter?"

Ginny laughed. "She has two. And she's not exactly little anymore. She's what…?" She looked at Victoire. "In her early thirties?"

"She and my mum are nine years apart," Victoire said. "So, yes, about thirty or thirty-one."

"You know I obviously knew that," George said, "but I can't picture her being any older than Rosie there-" He stopped abruptly at the sudden sound of a large fireworks display that was taking place overhead.

"Wow!" said Freddie as he and Hugo went around the backside of the tent to get a closer look.

"Oh, wonderful," Harry mumbled, throwing Ron a weary look. "We should probably go and have a look."

"Aren't we technically off duty?" asked Ron.

"We're never off duty,"

"Daddy those look like yours!" Roxanne said happily as she smiled up at her father.

"That's because they are," he said. "The ultimate display set. Someone really went all out for this. Those things are set to go off for at least another ten minutes."

"Thanks, George," Ron said as before he rolled his eyes and followed Harry off into the darkness.

"It's pretty cool," someone said as they all watched the colorful array of explosions light up the night sky.

"Think of what it's going to be like tomorrow," Dominique said with a glance at Victoire. "After someone's actually won this whole thing. Can you imagine?"

She nodded slowly as fireworks reflected off of the eyes of everyone around her. She thought of tomorrow and of the inevitable celebration and disappoint of so many people that was bound to occur. She took a deep breath as the crowd around her "oohed" and "awwed" at a larger firework that had just exploded loudly overhead.

In a day's time things would be very different, and Victoire knew that. She couldn't avoid the inevitable and only wondered whether she'd be the one celebrating or disappointed. Though, her concerns had nothing to do with Quidditch.


	27. An Unexpected Encounter

Okay, here are the tickets," Ginny said the following day as she held out what looked like a book of tickets. "There's one for everyone, so don't rush."

"They're so beautiful," Dominique said, taking hers and promptly kissing it. Victoire watched her questioningly, but thought it was better to just let her have her moment.

"Okay, so anyone shorter than this," Ron began, walking over to James and putting his hand just above his head, "make sure you keep up and stay with the group as we walk up there."

James made a face as Hermione stepped up next to Ron and clapped her hands. "No running off and no horseplay. None of that. There are far too many people here and I don't want to lose anyone."

"She's right," Ginny said as everyone finished getting ready and grabbed everything they needed before they left. George and Charlie had spent the morning painting their -and anyone who was interested - faces and the kids had all acquired a variety of souvenirs that they were now proudly showing off. The chanting hats that, "Cheer your team's name so that you don't have to!" seemed to be the popular choice and, currently, Albus's hat was involved in a loud shouting match with Freddie's.

"I just bet money on the match!" yelled Louis as he ran up to Victoire, his face streaked in the blue and white colors of Argentina.

"Way to throw your money away," she said as his hat suddenly screamed "Argentina!" in her face. She motioned to cover her ears. "Can't you control the volume on that thing?"

"I don't think so." He pulled it off of his head and started to examine it just as Jack appeared next to him with red and green face paint and an equally obnoxious hat that was screaming, "Italy!"

"If only Whit could see you," Victoire said, looking him up and down and trying not to laugh.

"Oh, I'd never hear the end of it," Jack said as Charlie suddenly yelled that they were taking off and for everyone to keep up.

"Vic, you could have dressed up a bit more," Louis said, throwing her a quick glance. Even she had to admit, in comparison to everyone else, she looked quite dull. She had only chosen a simple green and red rosette that was now pinned to her lapel.

"Maybe if it was England or France in the match," she said as they followed the large crowd that was snaking its way towards the arena, "but I really don't care either way."

"You've just got to get into the spirit!" he shouted as Jack vehemently agreed with him.

"Just because everyone else has gone mental, doesn't mean I have to," she said.

"We're not really mental," Jack said as he took his finger and rubbed some green paint off of his face onto Victoire's cheek. "Now that would be mental."

She suddenly stopped in her tracks, shocked that he had just done that. Louis howled with laughter.

"What's so funny?" Dominique asked once she joined them and caught a glimpse of her sister's now green stained cheek. She tried to hide her laughter, but cracked quickly.

"You're all prats," Victoire mumbled as she dabbed her face with her hand to see how much paint was there.

"Oh, lighten up," Louis said.

"Here I'll fix it," Dominique said as she subtly grabbed Jack. When Victoire turned to face her, Dominique had taken the opportunity to rub red paint on Victoire's other cheek. "There! All better!"

"I'm going to hex each of you!" Victoire yelled, even though she, too, was laughing a little. "You just wait!"

They all continued to have a laugh about it as they neared the arena, only stopping once they were faced with the outside of the massive stadium. Victoire couldn't even tell how many stories tall it was as she craned her neck up the length of the huge structure. All she knew that it was at least five times larger than the stadium she was used to seeing at Hogwarts. Perhaps ten times.

"We're all the way up top," Ginny yelled over the noise once they finally managed to get inside. "I've got to go and talk to some people, so I'll be up there shortly. Just settle in."

"Okay, come on," Angelina said she started corralling the kids towards the stairs. James, Rosie, and Albus rushed ahead of the others and began taking the stairs two at a time; much to the dismay of their parents.

"How many stairs are there?" Victoire asked several minutes later as they reached the halfway point where she stopped to catch her breath.

"We're in a top box," Dominique said, checking her ticket, "so, loads."

"You girls okay?" Harry asked.

"Fine. We'll catch up," Victoire stammered as she wiped the sweat off of her forehead.

"She's out of shape," Dominique said.

"All right, well, see you upstairs, then," he said as he continued to follow the group up the rest of the stairs. Someone within ear shot yelled, "Oh, look, Harry Potter!" and several heads turned in their direction while camera flashes started going off.

"Show's over, folks," Dominique yelled once Harry had disappeared, though people were still craning their necks to catch a glimpse. "Ugg, Vicki, can you imagine getting that all the time?"

"I can't, but I'm sure he's used to it," she said as she stood up straight and leaned against a nearby wall to get out of people's way. Crowds and crowds of people were passing by and trying to maneuver towards their seats while others were flooding the corridors in an attempt to buy food and souvenirs. It was a complete madhouse, and Victoire suddenly realized how easily things could turn very ugly if they wanted to. She finally understood why the last Quidditch World Cup held in England had ended in such chaos once the Death Eaters had decided to start terrorizing. This many people running in a fear filled stupor could not have been more frightening.

"Oi! Is Harry Potter over here?" asked a man. "I 'eard he was."

"You 'eard wrong," Dominique mocked.

The man gave her a dirty look, which she returned with a patronizing smile. He was fairly large and smelled like he'd been drinking. He certainly looked like the wrong type of person to be mocking, but leave it to Dominique. Victoire averted her eyes away from him and quickly caught a glimpse of what she thought was Simon Reed walking through the crowd. She craned her neck, stood on her tiptoes, and started jumping to get a better look.

"What are you doing?" her sister asked once the man had left. "Do you have a cramp or something?"

"I thought I just saw Simon, but I can't tell if it was him or not."

"Where?"

"Somewhere over there." She pointed. "By the bloke selling the-"

"Selling what? I don't see," Dominique said as she turned to look at Victoire, who was no longer standing where she had just been. She was now slowly sliding down the length of the wall in an attempt to hide. "What are you doing?"

"The omnioculars," she mumbled, trying her best to stay behind the crowd.

"What about them?"

"Look at them!"

"But we've already got a pair…"

"It's Ted, you dolt. Ted is standing there." As she said it, Dominique's head whirled around to see for herself. Victoire sank a little lower.

"Oh yeah…" she said softly. "With the blue hair. Simon's there, too. You were right."

"I can see that."

"We should go and say hi."

"Are you mad?!"

"Are you just going to avoid him forever?"

"No, but I don't want to see him now." She ran a nervous hand through her hair. It felt as if someone was suddenly sitting on her chest and taking turns jumping up and down.

"You need to talk to him."

"I'm not going to now!"

"I think you're overreacting," she said. "Let's just go over and say hi, that way you can at least see how you get on. I'm not putting up with you like this any more than I have to."

"No," Victoire said. "No, no, no. Look at me, I've got random blobs of paint all over my face, and I have no idea what I want to say. Plus, he's got Simon there." She stood up a little straighter to chanced a look. They were both standing there, along with Simon's girlfriend Susan and two other people.

"Well, I'm going over there. It's rude not to say hello."

"Dominique Renée Weasley!" Victoire spat in frustrated whisper before she started sliding down the wall again. "I will never, ever, speak to you again if you so much as-!"

"Simon!" she yelled, just as Victoire slipped off the wall and fell onto her rear into a sitting position. A passing man reached out a hand to help her up as she watched her sister disappear through the crowd toward Simon and Ted. She was afraid to look as her heartbeat began to race. Whether it was out of anger or apprehension, she wasn't sure.

Dominique had just reached them by the time Victoire's curiosity got the better of her and she looked. It almost seemed as if they didn't recognize her at first with her painted face and short hair, but once they did they seemed excited to see her. She watched as Ted started ruffling her hair playfully and laughed about something she said. He looked as if he was in a good mood. Then again, why wouldn't he be? He wasn't the one awkwardly standing here hoping to melt into the ground.

The crowd was starting to thin itself out now that it was getting closer to match time. It was becoming a lot more difficult to hide, particularly once Dominique chanced a glance over her shoulder towards her. It was then, as Simon followed her gaze, that he noticed her standing there.

"Hey, Vicki!" he yelled happily.

Victoire was sure her heart was about to explode out of her chest. She couldn't even pretend not to look at Ted, no matter how much she was telling herself to look at someone else- at anyone else! At Dominique, at Simon, at Susan, at the man selling the omnioculars, just look somewhere else. But she couldn't. Instead, she stared straight at him. Her face blank, her palms sweaty, and her heart thumping in her ears.

He smiled at her. A small and awkward smile. He looked surprised, but if he was feeling anything like she was, he was hiding it far better than her.

"How are you?" Susan asked her. "You look great! I wish I could go out and get some sun."

Victoire smiled a little. "Thanks."

"Your sister here says you all had a blast in France," Simon said as he playfully put his arm around Victoire. "Next time I think you should take me. I don't take up much room and I don't eat much."

"Oh, right," said the guy who was standing next to Ted.

"Bugger off!" Simon laughed.

"Maybe next time," Victoire said as she started to feel the blood rushing back through her body. She smiled at Simon before chancing another look at Ted. He looked as if he was deep in thought until he noticed her eyes on him. He smiled at her the second he did, but it felt forced to her.

"Oh, hey," Simon said as he pointed to the guy who had spoken before. "This charming git is Phil. We work together."

"Hi," he said with a wave.

"And this," Simon continued as he gestured to a pretty girl with dark hair, "is Rachael. She's Susan's best friend from school over in the states." He turned towards Rachael. "This is Victoire. She's Dominique's sister and she and Ted have been friends since they were in nappies."

Victoire smiled awkwardly, but Rachael laughed. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too," she said politely as she began to feel hot. "You'll have to excuse me, I'm just going to go and use the loo quickly."

"Oh, I'll come!" Susan said.

"Then can we go and sit?" Simon asked as he checked his watch. "The match starts in eight minutes."

"I'll be quick," Susan said as Victoire had already begun making her way towards the toilets. She pushed open the door and went straight for the sink, where she finally caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. It looked as if a child had a finger painted all over her face. She reached down and turned on the faucet and began splashing water on it. She watched the water in the sink basin began to turn into a muddy brownish color as the paint ran down the drain. She looked up into the mirror once again as drops of water began falling one by one off of her nose and chin. Ted hadn't said a word to her. Then again, she hadn't said a word to him, either…

"I was wondering if we were going to run into you," Susan said as she came over to wash her hands. "We'd asked Ted, but he said he wasn't sure."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, but I'm glad that we did. You're camping with Harry aren't you?"

She nodded as she started drying her face.

"We're camping not too far from there," Susan said. "You should come by later. It's a site…I think 498? Something close to that number. We've decided that no matter who wins we're celebrating. We've got a huge group of Italians on the left of us and a group of Argentineans camping on the right, so we're going to join in with whomever pulls it out."

She smiled. "Maybe."

"It'll be fun," she continued. "So, definitely think about it. The more the merrier."

"I'm sure," Victoire said as she threw a handful of paper towels into the rubbish bin.

"Plus, you can help." She laughed. "Since you know Ted so well and he'll actually listen to you."

She looked are her curiously. "Help with what?"

"Simon thinks-" she hesitated, "well, we both think that Ted…You know my friend Rachael that you just met?"

She nodded.

"She's here for a few weeks. She's been here for a week already and she and Ted seem to get on. They have similar personalities-"

Victoire's face slowly began to fall.

"Anyway, Simon's the one really driving this because he thinks they'd be really good together and that Ted needs a bit of fun. Lately, he's just been so work obsessed that we really think he just needs a break, you know? So we're trying to see what we can do to help."

"I…" Victoire mumbled. "Have you told Ted about this?"

"Simon's suggested it to him a few times, but he says he's too busy at work to date anyone."

Victoire felt her stomach lurch as she looked down at the floor. "Do you think he might be interested?"

"I know he thinks she's pretty because he's agreed with Simon when he mentioned it, but beyond that," she sighed, "he doesn't say much. I don't know. Perhaps you can talk some sense into him and tell him that he's going to work himself to death. Tell him he needs to remember to live his life a little bit."

She nodded absently as the thought of Ted with someone else made her feel anxious. She had barely digested what she had just heard when Susan motioned towards the door and held it open for her to pass. She slowly walked back towards where the group was standing and looking ready to go. Victoire immediately shot towards Rachael, who was laughing at something Ted had just said. Her chest clenched.

"There you are," Dominique said. "Come on, we still have to go all the way up. We're going to miss the release."

"Sorry," she said in a dazed sort of manner. Dominique stared at her and made a head gesture towards Ted, as if she was silently asking whether or not she was going to say something to him before they left. Victoire shook her head.

"Fine," she said, her tone aggravated. She turned to everyone else. "We'll see you all later."

"Enjoy the match!" Simon said as he started walking off in the opposite direction with Phil. Susan and Rachael stood behind talking to each other while Ted just dawdled.

"Think about coming by," Susan said as she and Rachael turned to leave. "I mean it!"

"Coming by where?" Dominique asked as she grew more and more antsy by the second.

"Their tent after the match," Victoire said as she realized that it would soon only be she, her sister, and Ted standing there. If Dominique picked up on that fact fast enough, she would make an excuse to leave them alone together, and Victoire really didn't want to confront this right now. She didn't have the courage after what Susan had just said.

"Can we actually see the match first?" Dominique asked.

"Yeah, we should go," she said hastily as she glanced at Ted and spoke to him for the first time. "See you."

"You should come by later," he said as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Really."

She racked her brain for something to respond with. There were so many things she wanted to blurt out, but so many things she was equally terrified to say. She opened her mouth to speak, but was suddenly grabbed on the sleeve by her sister.

"Oh, let's hurry this up." She pulled Victoire along towards the stairs and shouted over her shoulder. "We'll come. Even if I have to Imperius her to make her go!"


	28. Wins and Losses

The final score was 450 to 290. Argentina had won after catching the snitch with just over two hours worth of some of the most intense Quidditch that Victoire had ever seen. She would have never thought anything would have distracted her from what had just happened before the match, but she had been surprisingly wrong.

"THAT WAS THE GREATEST GAME EVER!" Louis continued to yell around the campsite later that evening. He was practically hoarse, but he had to yell due to the sheer amount of noise and celebration that was occurring all around them.

"I can't believe Sabatino didn't catch the snitch," Jack mumbled, the paint on his face now streaked with finger marks from where he had been gripping it during the match.

"So, you made some money off the match, did you?" George asked Louis. "Did you actually get paid?"

"I did," he said proudly as his hat continued yelling, "Argentina!" over and over again. "Fifty galleons."

"Mum and dad will kill you when they find out how much you gambled," Victoire said as she sat eating bacon sandwiches with Lily and Rose.

"They don't need to know," he said. "And even if they do, can they really be mad at me for winning!?"

"You know," Ron joked as he patted Louis on the back. "There's a fee for us letting you sleep in our tent."

"Okay, okay, it's getting really late," Hermione said once some fireworks went off overhead. "Perhaps some of us should think about getting ready for bed?"

"Aw, Mum…" groaned Hugo.

"Oh, let them stay up, Hermione," George said. "How often do they get to see this?"

"Never!" Hugo shouted happily just as another fireworks display went off overhead.

"That's one of mine," George announced proudly. "In case you were wondering."

"We weren't," Angelina teased as she picked up a sleeping Roxanne and carried her towards the tent. Even with all the noise, she had managed to fall asleep right there on the spot.

"So," Dominique asked as she turned to Victoire, "are we going, then?"

"Going where?"

"Don't play dumb."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.

"Going where?" Louis croaked as he plopped down next to his sisters.

"Do you want to go over to Ted's camp?" Dominique asked. "They're celebrating and what not."

"Sure." He swatted Jack. "Hey, mate, you want to go over to Ted Lupin's and see what's going on over there?"

"Is something going on over there?" Jack asked.

Dominique nodded before smiling at Victoire. She knew exactly what Dominique was doing. Strength in numbers. The more people she could convince to go, the more she could use against Victoire to force her to go.

"Sounds good," Louis said. "Are we going now?"

"I don't know, guys," Victoire began as Louis and Dominique stood.

"You don't have to come," Dominique challenged.

"Why wouldn't you want to?" Louis asked. "You're not still angry with Ted over what happened before we left for France are you?"

"No, but-"

"Then there's no reason not to go," Dominique added. "Unless there's another reason you may not want to see him…"

"What other reason would there be?" asked Louis.

"Okay, okay," Victoire said before Dominique could push this any further. "Fine. I'm just going to go and change my shirt. Go and tell someone where we're going."

"Don't take an hour," Dominique called after her as she disappeared into the tent to find her bag. As she sat herself down and began brushing her hair out, she wasn't even sure why she was trying so hard to distance herself from Ted. Even if he did reject her, she'd at least have peace on the matter. She could move on and work on just being friends again. Truthfully, she was almost afraid of him not rejecting her as much as she was the opposite. What if he did tell her he felt the same way about her? Then what? What do they do? Would things change…?

"Of course they would," she said out loud to herself as she grabbed the shirt that she had intended to wear tomorrow and changed quickly. She knew she'd have to wear it again in the morning, but her choices were limited and anything was better than the stale smell of perspiration and bacon sandwiches. She gave herself a quick once over in the mirror before she waltzed back outside.

"Be safe," Ginny said once she saw Victoire. "Your parents will kill us if something were to happen."

"They're only down at 490 or something," Victoire said. "It shouldn't be a very far walk."

"I want to go," James said eagerly.

"You can go to bed," Ginny offered. "Or you can stay up here for a little longer and enjoy everything going on." James grumbled, but said nothing more as the others set off through the dark towards where they assumed Ted's campsite was.

"You look nice," Dominique teased as she walked alongside Victoire.

"You're really pushing it today."

"That's my job."

"What happened to not being a brat?"

"I haven't been!" she said. "I could be much worse. If I was really being a brat, I would have asked Ted myself how he felt and then tortured you with the fact that I knew, but I haven't, have I?"

"You are truly amazing," Victoire said sarcastically. "I'm blessed to have someone as kind as you are as my sister."

"You really are," she agreed as they continued walking through the crowds of happy and angry people. They passed a fight between two men that looked as if it could turn into something really bad, but no one had any interest in sticking around to find out whether it would. After that, Victoire had to drag Jack and Louis away from a group of men who were offering them some of their special draught that would apparently allow them to have the most fun night of their lives, and then again she had to drag Louis away from a tent of girls who were beckoning him and Jack to come and join them.

"Go on ahead!" said Louis as he dawdled behind. "I'll be right here!"

"There's something not right about those girls," Victoire said as she pulled her brother by the arm and noticed they had entered the nineties section of the campsite. "Anyway, it should be around here somewhere."

"There," Dominique pointed, "the tent next to the really loud group of people waving the Argentinean flag and yelling. Isn't that Simon's friend?"

"It's his girlfriend," Victoire said as she recognized Susan and Rachael talking to some of their neighbors who were throwing a quaffle around. "That's the place, then."

"Well, at least it looks like a good time," Louis said as he set out towards the group. "It would have to be for me to pass on those girls back there."

"Oh, cry about it some more," Dominique said as she rolled her eyes and followed him and Jack, leaving Victoire standing on her own. She pursed her lips as she took in the scene. One way or another, she was figuring this out tonight. No matter how awkward it was.

"You came!" Susan said when she noticed her approaching. "I'm so glad!"

"Yeah, I made it," she said as she glanced at Rachael. She was smiling, but Victoire could only muster a polite smile in return.

"This is Carlo," Susan said as Victoire glanced at the man they had been talking to. "He and his friends came all the way here from Argentina."

"Oh wow, that's quite the trip."

"Worth it," he said with a thick Spanish accent.

"Neither of us speaks Spanish well, so we've been trying to work through the language barrier," Rachael said. "I think they want us to play a game."

"What kind of game?" Victoire asked.

"Dunno," Susan said. "They keep gesturing to the quaffle and then pointing at all of us."

"You play, too," Carlo said as she pointed at Victoire.

"He knows more English than we do Spanish," Susan said as he started speaking to her in quick stared at him blankly but seemed to be trying to decipher what was being said.

Rachael took a step towards Victoire and gave her a quick smile. "So, you're still in school?" she asked in an attempt to make small talk.

"Oh, yeah," Victoire said as she glanced around the campsite. "Yeah, I'm going into my last year."

"I miss school," she said. "I loved it."

"I'm ready for it to be over."

"Aw, I used to think that too, but trust me, you'll miss it."

"Perhaps," she said with a weak smile.

"And you met Simon at school?"

Victoire nodded. "Through Ted."

"You grew up with him right?"

She nodded again.

"Were you neighbors or…?"

"Family friends," she said. "My uncle is his godfather. Plus, my parents knew his parents and so on."

She nodded and Victoire suddenly felt weird talking about Ted with her. It almost seemed as if she was pressing her for information, but she was probably just reading way too much into the situation. She smiled at her again, but noticed that Rachael wasn't looking at her. She was looking at something just behind her.

"Hey," said Ted's familiar voice as Victoire turned as he saw him approaching. "What are you all doing over here?"

"Trying to communicate," Rachael said as he stood next to her and observed Susan and Carlo's conversation. Victoire continued to watch him, but he barely acknowledged her.

"Does anyone here speak Spanish?" Susan asked him.

"Not that I know of. Ask him if he speaks French." He gestured towards Victoire without looking at her. "You can speak it, right?"

She furrowed her brow at this. "You know I can."

He glanced at her and shrugged. "Just checking."

"Do they speak a lot of French down in Argentina?" Susan asked before she returned to Carlo. Victoire had stopped paying attention to their attempts though, and was now glaring at the back of Ted's head. He knew perfectly well she spoke French; he was asking as if he didn't. He was playing dumb on purpose. Was he trying to be a jerk?

"You can speak French?" Rachael asked.

She nodded absently as she continued to glare at Ted.

"How fantastic. I've always wanted to know another language. I've just never had the patience to learn."

"Oh, well, my mum's French," she said a little louder than she would have usually so that she knew Ted could hear her. "So, I've been speaking it MY ENTIRE LIFE."

Rachael smiled politely, even though she was clearly unsure of what had caused the sudden change in Victoire tone. Carlo threw his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender as he gave up trying to talk to Susan and walked off back towards his own tent.

"Perhaps later, then!" Susan called after him before turning towards everyone else. "Oh well…"

"Nice effort." Ted yawned as he stretched his arms. "I think I'm going to go and sit."

"I suppose we'll go with you," Susan said as she nudged Rachael on her side and gave her a knowing look. Rachael seemed confused by what Susan was insinuating, but Victoire knew exactly what she was trying to say. Particularly after Susan turned - once she knew neither Rachael nor Ted was looking - and winked at her.

"So, what's your schedule like next week, Ted?" Susan continued.

"Working I'm sure," he said as the four of them neared the rest of the group.

"You have to have some free time?"

"A few hours here and there."

"You work too much," she said as she cast a look at Victoire. "Doesn't he?"

"I guess," Victoire mumbled. With the way he was acting right now, she rather took pleasure in the idea of him being forced to work grueling hours all the time.

"Well, it's a living," he said as he suddenly took a few steps ahead of the group and squeezed Victoire's arm as he passed by. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared down at the spot he had just touched. He had done that on purpose. He had made an actual effort to touch her without attempting to disguise it as an accident. She looked up for him, but he had continued walking without as much as a glance behind him. She arched her eyebrow as she watched him sit with some friends. Was he screwing with her head now? One minute he's being a git and the next he's making flirtatious gestures? What the hell was going on?

As the night wore on, Ted's behavior only continued to remain odd. When he wasn't busying himself by talking to everyone else but her, she would occasionally catch him staring in her direction only to look away the moment she noticed. Even when she made a point of getting near enough to him to see if perhaps the opportunity to talk could arise, he would either pull himself away or be pulled off in another direction by someone else. She couldn't remember if it had always been this hard to corner Ted, but then again, in the past this wouldn't have been an issue. In the past, neither of them would be acting like this and she would have easily been able to pull him off on his own…But this obviously wasn't the past.

As another hour passed, she found herself bored and frustrated with his behavior. Off on her own, she leaned against a nearby tree just outside of the campsite and observed everyone from afar. Ted was sitting with Susan and Rachael - as he had been for the last several minutes. He was laughing about something and as he did, Victoire felt her annoyance rise. How nice is it must be for him to not be able to give a second thought to what had happened that night before she had left for France. How nice it was for him to just be able to completely ignore her. How very, very nice for him...

"Why are you over here?" Dominique asked as Victoire noticed her approaching.

She nodded towards Ted.

Dominique grinned. "Aww, you're jealous."

"What?"

"That girl over there. The one Simon's trying to fix Ted up with," she said, adding, "Simon mentioned it," once she noticed Victoire's expression.

"I'm not jealous," she began. "Not of her really, just of the fact that-"

"Ted's talking to her and not you?"

"Ted's talking to everyone but me."

"It's sort of hard to talk to you when you're way over here."

"It didn't matter when I was standing over there either," she said defensively. "I've made myself totally available quite a few times."

"But have you just asked him to talk?" she suggested. "I know generally when I want to talk to someone, I ASK THEM."

Victoire was taken aback. "I…"

"How is it that you've never had this problem with boys before, yet when the boy becomes Ted you've suddenly become a confunded idiot? I mean, is that it? Were you confounded by someone? It would explain a lot."

She smirked. "Am I that bad?"

"You're an idiot."

She sighed. "I'm starting to agree with you."

"Admitting it is the first step," she said, laying her hand on Victoire's shoulder. "The second would be to go over there and talk to the guy you've known your entire life and remember that it's just boring old Ted. The same Ted who used to whine and threaten to beat us up because we hid his Gobstones and his broom from him when we were kids."

Victoire laughed as she remembered. "He used to threaten to beat us up a lot."

"We hid his stuff a lot. It always thought it was funny."

"You're right," she said slowly. "About going over there to talk to him, that is."

Dominique crossed her arms. "Well, don't let me keep you."

She nodded and stood up straight before taking a deep breath. She had the sudden urge to ask Dominique to come with her, but she knew she didn't have to. She could feel her a few feet behind her as they walked. She couldn't have paid her sister to miss something as potentially embarrassing as this.

"Hi there," Susan said warmly as both girls reached them.

"Hello!" Dominique said over enthusiastically as she grabbed a nearby lawn chair and placed it down next to Ted with a large smile. "What's up, Lupin?"

"Not much," he said skeptically, seemingly picking up on Dominique's overly friendly nature immediately. "What's up with you?"

"Oh, nothing," she said. "Anything up with you, Vic?"

"Not really, no," she said, trying her best not to laugh. For some reason, her sister acting like a completely loon was very calming.

"Liar," Dominique mumbled before she turned back to everyone else with a smile. "So, Rachael and Susan, is it?"

They both nodded.

"You two both went to school at Salem, right? What was that like? I've heard terrible things about it."

"Terrible?" Rachael asked.

"Oh, yeah," she continued. "That it's really not such a great school and a miserable place to be."

"Where'd you hear that?" Susan asked. "It was anything but! I mean we," she gestured in between Rachael and herself, "loved it."

"I don't know," Dominique said skeptically. "I've heard some pretty bad stuff."

"Like what?"

"That the students get hit and that the facilities are poor."

"What?!" they both said in unison.

"That couldn't be further from the truth!" Rachael laughed.

"Well, tell me about it," she said, faking extreme interest. "I'm really curious and I would hate to have the wrong idea." She stood up and smiled at Victoire before pointing at her now vacant seat next to Ted. "I'm going to go and sit down by them so I can hear them properly, so feel free to take my seat." She smiled. "Well, that is unless you're about to go off and have a private conversation somewhere else, in which case you may as well stay standing."

"Oh, subtle," Victoire mumbled as Dominique moved to the other side of Susan and proceeded to ask them more random questions about their schooling. Victoire had to hand it to her sister. She had always been good at commanding an audience when she wanted one. As she glanced at Ted, who, not surprisingly, seemed all too aware of what Dominique was playing at. He smiled awkwardly as Victoire sat down.

"So, what's new?" he asked after a long silence.

She shook her head. "Nothing really. You?"

He shook his head. "Not a thing."

"My how exciting we are," she joked.

He smiled and nodded without looking at her.

"Work's good, then?" she asked, racking her brain from something to say. Their tones were amusingly polite and formal, as if they had just met for the first time that evening.

"Yeah," he said as he straightened up. "You know, busy but ok."

"That's good."

"How was France?"

"Great. Really great."

"Glad to hear it."

"Fantastic…" she muttered slowly.

"Wonderful," he quipped in return.

"Brilliant."

"Magnificent."

"Outstanding."

"Glorious."

"Stupendous."

He looked at her. "Is that a real word?"

"Of course it is."

"I've always thought it sounded so made up," he said as he made a face. "But I'll believe you because it's you."

"Would you like me to think of another more Ted Lupin approved word?" she joked. "I can keep going."

"Yeah, I bet you could," he said as a familiar pleasantness filled between them. For a second it really did seem like nothing had ever happened between them, but just for a second. They were both delaying the inevitable and they knew that, but neither seemed to want to say anything.

"What'd you think of the match?" he asked.

"It was exciting," she said as she started bouncing her knee anxiously.

"Yeah, it was crazy. I bet Albus is mad, though. He loves Sabatino and was really pulling for Italy."

"He threw his hat away on the walk back. You know the annoying screaming ones?"

He groaned. "The bloke sitting in front of me had one of those on and I was ready to throttle him. I would have thrown Al's away for him if he hadn't done it."

"Your toys used to be just as annoying." She laughed as she remembered what Dominique had said just minutes before. "Which is probably why we hid them."

"What?" he asked as he adjusted his leg so it was now resting against hers. As casual as he had tried to make the gesture seem, it appeared to be too calculated to have been an accident. She stiffened up a little, having already forgotten what they were just talking about. She could pretend that his leg touching hers wasn't the only thing she was now concentrating on, but it wasn't worth the effort anymore. She was tired of it all.

"Look, can we talk?"

"Are you thirsty?" he asked as if he wasn't paying attention to her. Was she thirsty? That had been his response? How far was he going to take this pretending everything was fine?

"What?" she mumbled before he stood and walked towards the tent before disappearing inside. She stood and followed him, determined not to let this continue to brood inside of her. As she pulled the entrance to their tent back, she noticed the inside was surprisingly nice and much newer than what she was used to seeing. There were a few bedrooms, comfortable looking sitting room and a small kitchenette area at the back where Ted was currently standing. She slowly made her way towards him.

"Want anything?" he asked.

"I'm good, thanks," she said as she crossed her arms and glanced at the people who were sitting on the sofa talking. A couple among of them abruptly stood and started walking towards one of the rooms.

"That one's mine," Ted said as he pointed towards a room on her left. He tapped on his empty glass with his wand and filled it with water.

She watched him for a moment before she took a few steps towards his room and looked around inside. She wasn't sure why she did this seeing as there wasn't anything special inside, but it was something to do besides stand awkwardly in the sitting room staring at him. He suddenly brushed past her on his way into the room and pulled on a rope that looked to be holding open the canvas flap entrance. He motioned for her to enter before he let go. As she did, she watched as the flap fell to the ground and suddenly left the two of them standing there.

"If I don't do that everyone and their brother will just come walking in," he said.

She nodded slowly as he crossed the room and sat down on the bed. He was quiet as he cracked his knuckles before looking at her. "So, why'd you run off?"

"Why did I run off?" she asked, surprised by his bluntness.

"That night after I read-"

"I knew what you meant," she said. "I'm just surprised you're asking. I thought the answer was fairly obvious."

He looked away. "I waited for you to come back."

"I know," she said quietly. She looked down at the floor.

"I thought it would be better to get this all out before you took off for a month, but I guess you didn't."

She sighed. "I was humiliated, Ted. I didn't know what to say to you. What was I supposed to say?"

He shook his head. "Anything. It's not as if I was going to think any less of you."

"Given the way you've been acting tonight, it's apparent you don't think any more of me, either."

His eyes shot to hers. "I didn't say that."

"You haven't said much of anything." She felt herself getting hot. "You've pretty much been avoiding me."

He stared at her incredulously. "You ran off to France without a word and I'm the one avoiding you?"

"Don't act as if I ran off to France to escape this," she said as she crossed her arms in front her again. "You know that's not true at all."

He didn't say anything.

"So, you're mad at me for running off, then?" she asked after a moment. "That's why you wouldn't talk to me or why you're pretending to barely know me?"

"Pretending to barely know you?" he asked in disbelief. "What on earth are you talking about-?"

"'Hey Victoire, can you speak French?'" she mocked. "'Just checking.'"

"Oh, that," he mumbled. "I was annoyed."

"So, why did you ask me to come tonight?" she asked as she felt her voice rising. "If you're so annoyed and want to ignore me, why did you want me to come?"

"Because we obviously needed to talk," he said more defensively. "And now we are, so…" He trailed off.

"So what?"

"So, I don't know," he said as he started rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. She watched him before she moved forward and sat down on the bed, leaving a sizable gap between them. They sat in silence as she continued to stare at the floor. She and Ted had only ever had one real fight before and this was starting to seem similar to it. He would dodge the questions while she would stubbornly refuse to back down or take any of the blame. The last time they fought, they had stopped speaking to each other and she knew she couldn't let it get to that point again. Her heart began thumping loudly. She wasn't surprised given what she found herself about to say.

"What I wrote," she said without looking at him. "I meant it. And I still do. I wrote that letter as a way to get everything out so that I could stop thinking about you, but you weren't supposed to read it. I wanted to tell you in person and not have you read it in a letter."

He turned and looked at her, but she still refused to look at him. She knew she'd lose her nerve if she did.

"And I've spent the last month terrified of what you would say and of what you thought and I'm terrified of losing my best friend, but I couldn't not tell you and just pretend like everything was normal. I would have exploded. I needed you to know how I felt, and now you do." She paused and took a deep breath. "And that's it."

It was quiet. He didn't say anything, but she could feel him still looking at her. Between that and the letter, she had said everything she had wanted him to know, and that was really all she could do. Everything else was beyond her control.

"You wouldn't have lost me," he finally said.

She turned to him and he smiled at her before he sat up straight and sighed. He opened his mouth to say something, but just then, someone pulled the entrance flap to his room back.

"Hey, there you are, mate," Simon said. "Do you think you could-?"

"Sort of busy, Simon," he snapped.

"I…" he looked surprised as he glanced between Ted and Victoire. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Yes," they said at the same time.

"Oh, sorry, then," he said with a shrug as he began to let himself out. "Just come find me when you're done."

Once he was gone, Ted mumbled, "Sorry about that."

Victoire shrugged sheepishly. She suddenly felt very vulnerable.

"So," he began.

"Just be honest with me, Ted," she said. "I'm just tired of wondering if-"

"Can I ask you something?"

"What haven't I told you?" she asked with a nervous laugh. She had poured her heart out to him and yet he hadn't said much and continued to dodge questions. It was making her anxious.

"When," he began as he cleared his throat, "did you realize you felt…You know, about me?"

"I'm not sure," she said as she thought back. "It sort of just happened. I smelled you back in January in the-"

"Wait, you what?" He suddenly pulled the front of his shirt up to his nose to sniff himself.

She laughed as she watched him. "No, don't laugh, but it was in the Amortentia. I didn't know it was you right away, though. I had to figure it out."

"Seriously?" he asked. "What do I smell like?"

"Sort of like potions," she said, searching for the proper way to phrase it. "It's probably just like you smell right now."

He smelled his shirt again. "I don't smell anything."

"You're probably not going to be able to smell yourself."

"My shirt smells like soap," he said as he held out his collar towards her. "See for yourself."

"I really can't explain it, Ted," she said as she leaned forward to smell for herself. "It's just sort of-"

He kissed her. As she had leaned in, he caught her lips with his and had grabbed the side of her face to pull her closer. Her mind went blank and her body went numb as the realization of what she was doing now swept over her. She could feel his lips. She could feel his lips on her lips and that was about as much as her brain could process at the moment. She was so surprised she had almost forgotten to kiss him back.

"I didn't smell you in anything," he said quietly as he pulled away after thirty seconds or so. "But I just sort of knew."

"You…" She stammered and blinked a few times in a disoriented manner. "What?"

He smiled at her. "I just sort of knew. I told myself I was making it all up, but then when I realized that I was attracted to you on top of everything..." He paused and laughed awkwardly. "Okay, this is going to make me sound bad, but remember when you were smashed at my flat?"

She nodded.

"Well, um, you took off your sweater because you were hot or something, and something in me just sort of stopped functioning properly because I couldn't get that image of you out of my head for days."

Her mouth dropped into a surprised smile as he actually started to blush.

"You have to realize," he said, smiling some more, "you were in my bed, taking off your sweater, and I never realized that you could look like that." He laughed. "What was I supposed to think?"

"I can't believe…" she said still in a state of disbelief given everything that was happening. "You know, I wanted to kiss you that night. I really did."

"Oh, don't say that." He groaned. "You were drunk though, so I wouldn't have-"

"I know." She smiled. "Trust me, I know."

He puffed up his cheeks and released with a laugh. "So…"

"So," she said. "What now?"

"What now…" he mumbled. "Well, we can do a few things. We can pretend none of this ever happened-"

"I'd rather not."

He smiled. "Me neither. Well, we can just continue snogging like mad, which is always fun."

She smiled and nodded thoughtfully.

"Or we can actually do this," he said seriously. "You and me."

"The third option sounds good," she teased as she pretended to think things over. "But I'd like to hear the second one again."

He laughed. "We could always combine those two. I wouldn't be against it."

"Well, then I'm sold." She smiled.

He grinned as he leaned himself back on the bed and sighed. She stared back at him and he grabbed her hand in one fluid motion, and she couldn't help but smile when she stared running her thumb over his. She'd never really noticed how rough and worn his hands looked before now.

"Is your dad going to kill me?" he asked.

"It's a possibility," she joked. "I'd be more worried about my mum."

"Lucky me, then," he said as he pulled her down towards him and kissed her again. This time she managed to retain feeling in her entire body and get properly involved. This time it lasted much, much longer than thirty seconds.


	29. And in the End

September 1st, 2017

The barrier wall disappeared as Victoire pushed her trolley through it at a jogging pace. She smiled once she slowed down and glanced back at it. She had done it. For the last time, she had run through the barrier at Platform 9 ¾'s as a student on her first day of term. She could still remember the feeling of apprehension seven years previously as her father encouraged her to take it at a run. Now, she had done it for the last time.

Both Louis and Dominique caught up beside her; their father and mother in tow as they slowly walked further onto the platform. The scarlet steam engine before them billowed smoke as they all paused.

"Have a good term then," Bill said as he hugged Dominique first while Fleur hugged Louis. "Be good and make sure you write."

"We always do," Dominique said. "Well, write that is, not necessarily be good."

"No more hexing people in the common room," Fleur said as she kissed Victoire on the cheek.

"I'll try," she joked as she turned and hugged her father.

"Enjoy it kiddo," he said with his arm still around his eldest daughter as he looked down at her. "It's your last year and I promise you you'll miss it when it's all gone."

"I will, dad." She grinned. "I really think I will." He kissed her on the top of her head as she suddenly noticed Whit pushing her trolley towards the group of them.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," she said brightly as both Fleur and Bill smiled at her. "Hi everyone."

"Hello Jane," Fleur said as Bill offered to help the kids with their trunks.

"I think we'll manage," Victoire said as she glanced around the platform anxiously.

"Well, I guess we'll be off then," Bill said as he glanced at his wife. "We need to be getting back to the bank."

"I'll miss you all," their mother said as she once again kissed each one of her children and even went one further and kissed Whit on the cheek. She paused on Victoire and her eyes suddenly glistened with tears. "So grown up."

"If this is how she's like at the start of term, think about how she'll be when it's all over," Dominique mumbled.

They all said their final goodbyes and watched their father put his arm around their mother as they walked off and out of sight. Victoire sighed and started searching the platform again.

"We've got a little over twenty minutes," Louis said as he checked his watch. "Which is good because that means they'll be loads of open compartments."

"We should get our stuff on the train then," Dominique said as she started pushing her trolley towards it. The rest of the group followed and quickly unloaded their things into the first empty compartment they could find. Victoire practically threw her trunk inside in an attempt to hurry back to the platform.

"Watch what you do with that thing," Louis said as he ducked. The trunk had just nearly missed his head.

"Sorry," she said as she turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Just popping out onto the platform," she said as she attempted to sound nonchalant. Louis stared at her skeptically as Dominique smiled and plopped down into a seat by the window.

"Wait, I'll come," Whit said. "I can keep and eye out for Jack."

"Tell your boyfriend I said hi," said Dominique.

"You can tell Jack yourself in like five minutes," Louis said. "Why would she?"

She smiled. "I wasn't talking to Whit."

"Wait, what?" Louis asked as Victoire chose that moment to escape the compartment. She had the entire train ride and all of a term to explain herself to him. She only had less than twenty minutes to take care of other matters.

"Your brother still doesn't know about Ted?" Whit asked as they both stepped back onto the platform and narrowly avoided a small group of girls who were trying to board.

"I don't think I mentioned it," she said casually as she glanced up and down through the crowd.

"So I take it you didn't tell your parents yet either?"

She made an amused face. "I was thinking about telling them over Christmas."

She laughed. "Seriously?"

"It really is sort of strange to bring up," she said as she started hopping up and down to see over people's heads. "It's not as easy as you'd think."

Whit shook her head. "You're funny."

She shrugged. "We've both kept it a secret to be honest. I mean, Ted tells my uncle everything and he still hasn't mentioned it to him because-" She paused and smiled. "We've just sort of been enjoying the last month as our own."

It had been during that first night in the tent that they had decided it was easier to keep their new relationship a secret rather than tell everyone right away. With Victoire only having one month in between then and when she was set to go back to school, they figured they could at least make the most of their time together without everyone else attempting to butt in. She knew the second her family found out, they were all bound to parade the pair of them around and gush and coo over how cute they were. This was something that neither of them were necessarily anticipating.

"And if someone finds out?" Ted had asked that night as the two of them emerged from the tent an hour and a half after they had entered.

"Some people are bound to find out," she said as she glanced around at everyone who was still talking and laughing around the campsite. "But we'll just do what we can."

"I'm going to have to tell Simon," he whispered. "If I don't, he's going to keep trying to fix me up with people."

She smiled at him as she noticed how messy his hair currently was. "Your hair is out of control."

"Oh does it look like I've just spent the last hour fooling around in a tent?" he joked. "Because that's what it should look like."

"Yes, actually." She laughed as she reached up and attempted to straighten it out. "It looks just like that."

"Just so you know, your hair isn't much better," he whispered with a look that made Victoire suddenly wish they could go back inside the tent.

"Hey, there you are," said Louis's voice as Victoire immediately retracted her hand out of Ted's hair and turned towards where her brother and sister were walking towards them. "Where'd you two disappear off to?"

Ted glanced at Victoire, who shook her head. "Nowhere."

"Nowhere?" Dominique asked. "Nowhere for over an hour?"

"Just for a walk," she said defensively. "Around the campsite and what not."

Louis nodded, but Dominique just stood there smirking at the pair of them.

"Well, are you almost ready to head back to camp?" Louis asked. "It's getting late."

"You have to come and talk to Simon with me," Ted said to Victoire before she could answer.

She glanced back at her siblings. "You guys just go on ahead."

"I'll walk her back," Ted offered as he took a few steps in the direction of where Simon was currently sitting.

"All right," Louis said as he turned and began walking in the opposite direction. Dominique however continued to stand there smirking.

"What?" Victoire asked in an attempt to sound casual.

"A walk around the campsite?"

She shrugged.

"Right," she laughed before she glanced at Ted. "Hey Lupin, your shirt's on inside out."

Ted quickly checked his shirt before looking back at her. "No, it's not."

"Ugggg…" she groaned as she turned to walk away. "You had to check."

Victoire watched her go before she slowly turned to look at Ted. She smiled a little. "So much for keeping it a secret."

"Oh she was bound to find out," he said defensively as she walked over and patted him affectionately on the back.

"I'll just have to blackmail her or bribe her not to tell everyone," she teased as they both walked towards where Simon was currently sitting and talking to a man she didn't know. As they approached, Simon threw his hand up in the air.

"About time," he said. "I was wondering when you two would be done talking."

Ted smirked at Victoire. "Well, in our defense, we finished talking ages ago."

"Then what took you so long?"

Both he and Victoire smiled at each other, before he shrugged. "We had some stuff we had to take care of. Anyway, what'd you want earlier?"

"I just wanted you to come out here and hang out instead of running off to hide," he said trying to nonchalantly gesture to where several girls were currently sitting. "You know, get to know certain people. Perhaps things could happen…"

He smirked. "You are a man dedicated to the cause, mate."

"Vicki, will you do me a favor," Simon said turning towards her. "Maybe he'll listen to you. Tell him he needs to realize that work isn't everything and that he needs to have a little fun."

She smiled and turned towards Ted, who was already grinning at her in anticipation of what he knew was coming. "Ted, you need to have a little fun."

"And," Simon continued. "That he needs to start dating again because he's been hiding himself away for far too long."

He actually laughed as Victoire tried her best to hide her own laughter as she stood there and repeated, "And you need to start dating more. You've been hiding yourself away for far too long."

"I wholeheartedly agree," Ted said before they both glanced back at Simon.

"Anything else?" Victoire asked him.

Simon sighed and stared at Ted. "I'm just looking out for you."

"I know you are." He smiled. "But I'm actually doing well. In fact-" He glanced at Victoire. "The whole reason I'm not cooperating is that I'm already seeing someone."

"You're full of shit."

"Am I lying?" he asked Victoire. She shook her head.

"When did this happen, then?" he asked. "How long have you been keeping this a secret?"

He sighed. "You could say it was a long time coming."

"Years in fact," Victoire added.

"So who is it?" Simon asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Do I know her?"

Victoire smiled. "Quite well."

Simon continued to stare at Ted while waiting for an answer. Ted was staring at Simon as if he was trying to see if Simon could read his thoughts. When he continued to stare at him blankly, Ted nodded towards Victoire.

Simon looked at her. "He wants you to tell me."

"No." Ted laughed as he took a step closer to her and grabbed her hand. "No, it is her."

Victoire smiled as Simon's jaw dropped and his eyes practically bugged out of his head. "Shut the hell up."

They both nodded.

"I don't believe it."

"It's true," she said.

"Took us long enough, huh?" Ted asked cheerfully as Simon continued to gawk at the pair of them.

"But you two aren't allowed…" he muttered. "Wait, are you taking a piss?"

"No," Victoire said as she shook her head. "No, we would do that."

"Because Ted, if you want me to stop trying to fix you up, just say so," he continued. "You don't have to make up stuff."

"I swear to you that we are not kidding," Ted said adamantly as he dropped Victoire's hand and walked towards his friend. "We've been trying to work this out for some time now. I'm not making this up. I really am in love with her."

Victoire turned and looked at him. It was the first time he'd said anything about actually being in love with her. Hearing him actually say it made something inside of her suddenly feel very light and excited as her smile grew wider the longer she stared at him.

"Prove it," Simon said.

"What?" Ted laughed. "Prove it how? What exactly do you expect us to do-?"

At that exact moment, overcome with what he had said just moments before and simply because she could, Victoire walked over and kissed him. She didn't care who was watching or what was going on. She barely knew these people and she certainly didn't care what they thought.

She pulled away and looked at Simon. "That's about as much proof as I'm willing to give."

He gawked at them both as Ted merely shrugged and smiled. After the initial shock had worn off, Simon had managed to soften to the idea. In fact, a week later he even pulled Victoire aside and told her that he couldn't understand how he hadn't seen it sooner and how obvious it should have been. He seemed genuinely happy for the pair of them and made mention to her that he'd never seen either of them so ridiculously content before. She had to agree with him there. She'd never felt so content and happy with someone she was with. She hoped the feeling would never disappear.

"So," Whit began and she and Victoire continued to look up and down the platform. "Do you think your parents would have let you spend all that time with him had they known you were together?"

"I'm sure they would have let me spend the time with him," she said with a small smile. "It was the time alone with him at his flat that they may have had a problem with." She hopped up and down anxiously again. "Where is he?"

"He'll be here," Whit said as she continued looking as well. It was getting more and more crowded every second as children and their families started filing in to board the train.

"I hope he didn't get held up at work." She frowned. She knew he had a presentation later that afternoon, but that was hours away. He had told her he would be there even though she had told him he didn't have to. She had wanted to tell him goodbye the night before; fearing that he wouldn't be able to get down here fast enough. He hadn't let her, though. He swore he would be here.

"Oh so what did you do last night for your big date night?" Whit asked as they walked a few steps forward and leaned against a large wall that offered them a better view of their surroundings.

"We stayed in at his place," she said. "We tried to cook, but apparently we're both terrible at that so it didn't turn out as well as we had planned. We ended up eating cold sandwiches."

Whit laughed.

"It was fun," she continued. "We went for a walk and just sat around..."

"Just sat around, huh?" Whit grinned. "Now is that code for…?"

Victoire blushed and attempted to hide her smile, but was unable to do it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right…." she said as she nudged her playfully. "Look at how red you are!"

"It was just a really lovely evening and that's all I'm saying!" She laughed and playfully shoved her back.

"Well, I'm glad then," Whit said as she suddenly nodded down the platform. "Wait, I think I see him. It's hard to tell when his hair is the same as everyone else's since I'm so used to seeing him stand out."

Victoire turned and stared in the direction Whit was now pointing. She immediately smiled as she noticed him walking along the platform and took off at a jog through the crowd to catch him.

"Ted!" she yelled as she saw him turn to walk in the opposite direction. He stopped and smiled at her as he waited for her to get closer.

"I'm really sorry," he said as he made, what she found to be, an adorably apologetic face. "We were prepping for this afternoon and I lost track of time and I-"

"Shut up," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I don't care, I'm just happy you made it."

"Yeah, but I should have made it twenty minutes ago," he said in a frustrated manner before smiling at her. "You look cute."

"Me?" she said as she stepped back and took him as he was dressed nicer than he usually was given his presentation later that day "Look at you. All cleaned up and handsome for the dragon pox blokes, then?"

"I like to think I'm always handsome," he joked.

She smiled as she grabbed his hand and led him through the crowd to where she had been standing before. "Well, I'll certainly agree with that."

"Have I mentioned how I don't want you going back to school?" he asked as she leaned up against the wall and pulled him closer to her.

"About a hundred times," she said as she kissed him again. "At least as many times as I've mentioned that I wished Christmas holidays were closer."

"Yeah, me too," he said quietly. "It's just a couple months when you think about it."

"A couple of very long months."

"Harry and Ginny did it." He grinned. "I randomly asked him the other night how they worked that out and he said it's hard, but when you love someone you make it work."

"Which we'll do," she said confidently as she pulled him close again and kissed him. The entire world seemed to disappear as they stood there together, which was exactly the way she preferred it to be.

"Awwww," she heard Whit say as they broke apart and looked at her. She was standing with Jack, who grinned at the pair of them.

"Don't mind us," Jack said as he headed towards the train, pulling an amused Whit along with him.

"I probably deserve that after all the 'awing' I've done to them over the last year," Victoire said as he kissed him once again, a little more passionately this time. She couldn't help but wish that she didn't have a train to catch, that he didn't have to go back to work, and they could just go off and-

"Teddy?" said a familiar voice.

Ted pulled back slightly and stared at Victoire as she noticed the instant recognition in his eyes. He blinked a few times and reached up to rub his bottom lip before he slowly turned around.

"Hey James," he said as both he and Victoire took in James Potter standing there gawking at them.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Um," he said with an awkward laugh. "I'm seeing Victoire off."

"By snogging her?" he asked in disbelief as he glanced at Victoire.

"Well, yeah."

"So wait are you two…?" he asked as he started giggling. "You were snogging!"

"Nothing gets past you, buddy," he said as he grabbed James by the shoulders and turned him around on the spot before ushering him forward a few steps. "Have a fantastic term then. You don't want to miss the train, so you should get going."

James laughed once again before he took off running in the opposite direction. They watched him go before glancing back at each other. Ted shook his head. "He's going to tell everyone."

"You think so?"

"Oh he's telling them right now," he said as he walked back over to her. "I know he is."

"I guess it was only a matter of time," she said. "I should probably write to my parents before they find out from everyone else."

"So I should be expecting a visit from your mum then?" He grinned. "And you'll be way up at school safe and sound while I get to hear about it back here?"

She swatted him affectionately before she kissed him again in an attempt to utilize every second that they had left. They didn't break apart until the train's whistle blew and the steam began billowing heavily from the engine.

"Shit," he said. "You have to go."

"Christmas time," she mumbled.

"It'll be nothing," he said as he kissed her forehead. "I know it."

She grinned. "Just so you know, I might even write to you."

He laughed. "I think I might consider writing to you too. We'll see."

"You better," she said as she made a motion to playfully punch him. He grabbed her arm as she did so and pulled her into one last kiss before letting go.

"Have fun, OK?" he said as she took a few steps towards the train which was gearing to go. "I love you and all of the other mushy stuff that you hear me say when no one else is around."

She laughed as she stepped onto the train. "I love you too."

The train gave a great lurch forward as she waved at him. He waved back and continued to do so until she could no longer see him. She sighed sadly as she glanced out at the cityscape that was now passing before her. Her seventh year was starting in just a few hours. The beginning of the end and the beginning of what she hoped to be, so much more. She was looking forward to a drama free year with no obnoxious girls to contend with and no real boy drama. She could concentrate on her friends and her school work and having fun. She thought about how it definitely had the potential to be her best year yet as she pulled the compartment door open.

"YOU'RE DATING TED!?' Louis yelled as she entered. "ARE THEY SERIOUS?"

Dominique laughed loudly as Whit and Jack exchanged amused expressions. Victoire sighed as she sat across from her brother and shrugged at him.

"Are you really that surprised?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there's more to this story if you're interested in checking out the rest of the series. 
> 
> "The Start" (part 1) is the prequel. "The Spark" (part 3) is this same story from Teddy's POV. Then "Here, There, and Everywhere" (part 4) which is the sequel to both this and "The Spark" and the final story. Here's hoping you check them out. Thanks for reading!!


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